Peeling the Onion: The Taliban in Pakistan

“The Taliban are no longer a single movement with a single cause, The Taliban have become a phenomena, a hydra with different heads and no centre of gravity, an organizational structure with commonalities but different goals and objectives depending on locations and resources of the concerning group.”

– Imtiaz Rafi Butt (Chairman Jinnah-Rafi Foundation)

From the rugged flanks of the porous Afghan-Pakistan border, the task of dismantling the Taliban looks overwhelmingly daunting. With some of the most treacherous terrain in the world it is difficult even to locate these Taliban fighters let alone eradicate the extensive networks they have created and so heavily rely on. Clearly, from an American perspective, the strategies that have been implemented to defeat the Taliban so far have not worked.