Afghan Taliban says sending fighters to Iraq: TV

Well lucky for you General. You now have a second chance to "defeat the Taleban".

The United Sates took over the rotating command of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan Sunday amid growing concern over a surge in violence by insurgents during the coming spring.

General Dan McNeill assumed the rotating command of ISAF forces from British General David Richard in a Kabul ceremony attended by high officials including President Hamid Karzai.

The outgoing British General led the alliance forces for the past nine moths, during which Afghanistan experienced the worst year in 2006 since the fall of the Taleban in late 2001. Over 4,000 people, mostly insurgents, were killed last year.

Richards said that they had defeated the Taleban during his command and called the 2006 a success year for the allied forces. [emphasis mine]

Notice the juxtaposition of the two commanders' remarks. One says 2006 worst year and one says 2006 a success year? Are these clowns even in the same country? Which one do you think reports to Bush?

A senior Taliban commander said in remarks broadcast on Friday that the Afghan Islamist group was sending fighters to Iraq to support anti-U.S. insurgents.

"Whenever there is a chance the (Afghanistan-based holy fighters) mujahideen travel to Iraq and the opposite is also true," Mullah Dadullah told Al Jazeera television in an interview.

"We have very strong relations with the mujahideen in Iraq. The mujahideen stay in Iraq for a month for example then they come here," he added in remarks dubbed in Arabic. "We also share intelligence."

"Travel from and to Iraq is at a peak currently ... if any mujahid wants to carry out an operation in Iraq he can travel."

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