Growing Taliban-Al Qaeda Rift, Essay Example

Some U.S. Officials See a Growing Taliban-Al Qaeda Rift

In 2001, Al Qaeda was forced out of Afghanistan by the U.S. invasion, as was the Taliban.  The groups retreated to the mountains of Pakistan, where an alliance was forged between the two groups.  The article gives a brief history of the alliance, saying that because of the decade of inter-marriage and alliances between the groups, it is not likely that the two groups will ever completely sever their ties.

The article goes on to describes the current state of affairs in Afghanistan.  It says that there are only thought to be 100 current Al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan today.  The alliance between Al Qaeda and the Taliban appears to be fading, as Taliban operatives are no longer offering shelter or sanctuary to Al Qaeda in their strong holds along the border.  The Taliban is focusing on trying to re-establish its power in Afghanistan by moderating its image, and it is perhaps for this reason that it is trying to distance itself from the militant Al Qaeda.

Al Qaeda is also aligned with another militant Afghan group called the Haqqani network.  However, the Haqqani group has been suffering serious casualites over the past year from attacks by CIA drones.  However, it may be that leaders of the Haqqani network are becoming more apprehensive about aligning themselves with Al Qaeda since the Taliban is starting to dissociate  from the Al Qaeda.

In essence, it appears from the information provided by American military intellegence that Al Qaeda is lacking both man power and funding these days and thus may not capable of mouting any serious attacks on American or Afghan territory.

A 2009 survey on www.pewglobal.org said that the Pakistani people are also looking disfavorably at both Al Qaeda and the Taliban.  Their dissatisfaction with the Taliban jumped from 33% in 2008 to 70% in 2009.  For Al Qaeda, it jumped from 34% to 61%.  It appears that both groups are finding disfavor, leading to fewer places to find refuge.