Tough = Taleban

Unfortunately, this sounds very much like a paean of the Taliban rather than an impartial report, but it is useful anyway.

There is no army on earth as mobile as the Taleban.

Taleban fighter The Taleban say history is on their side

I remember it as their secret weapon when I travelled with them in the mid-1990s, as they swept aside rival mujahideen to take most of the country.

Piled into the back of open Toyota trucks, their vehicle of choice, and carrying no possessions other than their weapons, they can move nimbly.

The bare arid landscape of northern Helmand suits them well.

After one hair-raising race across the desert last week, patrolling the large area where they can move at will, they screamed to a stop at a river bank.

Hardy

It was sunset, and time to pray before breaking the Ramadan fast they had kept since sunrise.

Before praying, they washed in a dank-looking pool at the side of the almost-dry river bed.

Afghanistan has been in the grip of a severe drought for several years, but the lack of clean water does not seem to concern these hardy men.

We rose up and saved almost the whole country from the evils of corruption and corrupt commanders... that's why people are supporting the Taleban again now
Mohammed Anif Taleban spokesman

They clean their teeth with sharpened sticks taken from trees, and sleep with only the thinnest shawls to cover them.

They have surprised the British by the ferocity of their fighting and their willingness to take casualties.

Their belief in the imminence of paradise means that few exhibit fear.

The point being that you can't defeat these people. They're tough, mobile and dedicated. How do they compare with US recruits who see the military as a job. Yes many of them are dedicated. But more than a few are in the military because it was a decent job. It was that or flipping burgers.

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