Taliban Thugs Seek New Direction

Since their efforts to overthrow the Afghan government haven't worked out as well as hoped, and the ongoing conflict in the NWFP and Warizistan Pakistan aren't gaining as much traction as hoped, Mullah Omar has publicly stated that he's replacing leading Taliban thug Mullah Dadullah.

At the end of 2007, the Afghan Taliban made a radical leadership change which has sparked controversy in the ranks of the terror group. On December 29, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed issued a statement that Mullah Mansoor Dadullah, the commander for southern Afghanistan, was relieved of his command by Taliban leader Mullah Omar. Dadullah stated he had no knowledge of the dismissal and claimed it was a "conspiracy by my enemies." Omar responded by issuing a signed statement ordering Dadullah's firing.

Omar's dismissal of Mansoor was published on Voice of Jihad, a well trafficked jihadi internet forum, ThreatsWatch's Nick Grace informed The Long War Journal. The release was signed by Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid, the Ameer Al-Mu’meneen, or the commander of the faithful.

Dadullah claims that this is just a nasty plot by his enemies to undermine him.

NATO and the Afghan and Pakistani forces need to capitalize on the disharmony among the Taliban thugs - both by exploiting intel and breaking the chain of command.

Meanwhile, the Taliban setbacks continue. Five Taliban provide car swarm material as their car bomb blows up prematurely. They were hoping to kill many more civilians. The Taliban have stepped up efforts to slaughter Afghan civilians because they think this is how they're going to regain power in Afghanistan, but it's quite likely that they'll simply alienate the public, who realize that NATO and Afghan forces are trying to bring a sense of normalcy and calm to a country wracked by violence for more than 30 years. The Taliban are embarking on a strategy that has decimated the insurgency and al Qaeda in Iraq, and the results are not likely to differ.