Taliban good behavior guidebook detached from reality on ground

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WASHINGTON, July 30 (UPI) -- A Taliban good behavior guide seized by NATO forces in Afghanistan bears no relation to the violent reality on ground, which is contrary to the insurgent group's advice to its fighters, a spokesman for the coalition forces said.

Canadian Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay told reporters in Afghanistan the Taliban are falling far short of the goals set out in their "Taliban 2009 Rules and Regulations Booklet," found by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force troops in southern Afghanistan earlier month.

The blue-cover booklet, dated May 9, is believed to be the first of its kind, and preaches a style of warfare based on Islamic law and aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people.

The guidelines advise Taliban fighters to avoid civilian casualties, limit suicide attacks to high-value targets and establish good relationships with the local people.

"Designed to be prescriptive in how insurgents are to conduct themselves in waging war against the government of Afghanistan, the Afghan security forces and ISAF, it is very telling to see how the actions taken by the insurgents day after day contradict in every way possible their own 'Taliban code of conduct booklet,'" Tremblay said in comments quoted by isria.com, the Web site of ISRIA monitoring service.

The booklet counsels Taliban fighters to "try their best to avoid killing local people," Tremblay noted. "Well, let me tell you that the reality on the ground doesn't reflect this at all," he said.

Since January, Afghan insurgents have killed 450 innocent people and injured more than 1,000 others, he said.

Citing the booklet's recommendation that Taliban fighters behave in a way that wins favor with the local people, Tremblay said the insurgents have targeted more than 40 schools this year and continue to block women's access to education.

"The insurgents intimidate, destroy, suppress and kill everywhere they go, because they are afraid to lose their control over the population," he said.

"For the population, Taliban presence means death and fear, as the insurgents have so many times proven to be ruthless for the people who dare not to cooperate with them or refuse to turn a blind eye to their criminal and brutal activities," he said.

Taliban continue to hide among civilians, take hostages and use them as human shields when confronted by ISAF, U.S. or Afghan security forces, or to use children as suicide bombers.

Of the guidebook's advice that suicide attacks should be limited to "high-ranking people" Tremblay said "the hard reality is that since January 2009, the insurgents have used over 90 suicide bombers -- most of them young men, and in many instances just teenagers and children -- who, through their actions, have killed more than 200 innocent Afghan civilians."

Coalition forces in Afghanistan are working with the Afghans to offer an alternative, he said. "For that compromising core of insurgents whose only goal is to kill and prevent progress to take place in Afghanistan, we will meet them with our persistent presence, alternative livelihoods, good governance opportunities and force, if necessary," Tremblay said.