KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Canadian efforts to pacify a swath of parched farmland west of Kandahar city have received a boost from a powerful tribal leader and former warlord.
Mullah Naqib, a grey-bearded former mujahedeen commander widely respected since he fought the Soviet occupation in the 1980s, told The Canadian Press in an interview that he's urging young, unemployed Afghan men in the Panjwaii and Zahri districts to resist insurgent recruiters who are expected to come knocking again this spring.
"I suggest for them to not to join Taliban,'' he said.
"I don't think that the youngsters of Panjwaii and Sperwan will join Taliban,'' he added confidently. "I think they will live their lives.''
In a society where tribal ties often trump most things including the rule of law, the Alokazai tribal leader's "suggestion'' carries a lot weight. It may prove crucial as NATO presses forward with a campaign to separate hard-core extremists from softer supporters of the Taliban.
"If they don't join, it will be great and good,'' said Naqib, who holds sway over the Arghandaub region near Kandahar.
"If they join, it will create a lot of problems for them and their families. They will not be able to feed their families.''
Destitute farmers outside Kandahar were coerced into fighting or churned up into a religious frenzy last spring by bellicose Taliban commanders, many of whom moved into the area from sanctuaries in Pakistan. Their clashes with Afghan and heavily-armed NATO forces ended with the slaughter of hundreds of young men. Many militant commanders fled back across the border.
Afghans say that poverty, and not ideology, drives the majority of Taliban foot soldiers.
With U.S. warnings of more fighting ahead this spring in an anticipated Taliban offensive to retake Kandahar, Afghanistan's second-largest city, Canadian troops and government reconstruction staff have been rushing to woo potential insurgent fighters with aid and short-term make-work projects.
Naqib predicted that full-fledged insurgent attacks this spring will be "rare,'' mostly because of apparent in-fighting among the senior ranks of the Taliban.
"Yes, they are divided in different groups because everybody wants to be a leader,'' he said in the interview conducted last week through a translator.
Naqib's credentials and connections among the militants were impeccable.
A Pashtu elder, Naqib was close to Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar and was once governor of Kandahar. It was Naqib's decision to quit the city with his fighters in 1994 that allowed the Taliban's rise to power to begin. And it was Naqib to whom Omar turned when he surrendered control of the city in December 2001 as Northern Alliance and U.S. forces were closing in.
Naqib is now an ardent supporter of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, whose government is backed by NATO forces including the Canadian contingent in Kandahar province.
Canadian troops fought fierce battles with the Taliban in the Panjwaii and Zahri areas last fall.
Deference for Naqib within the Taliban remains strong to this day.
The Globe and Mail newspaper reported last month that militants consulted him before planning any action in Arghandaub. He was reported to have tried to talk them out of attacks on allegedly corrupt local police.
Naqib is also the tribal leader who reportedly interfered in the Afghan police investigation of Canadian diplomat Glyn Berry's murder to get a member of his tribe released from custody.
Naqib says Pakistan's intelligence service fostered the divisions within the Taliban by convincing individual commanders that they could be "the next leader'' -- someone who will replace Omar.
Rumours of strife in militant ranks are the subject of hot gossip in Kandahar. Naqib could offer no proof beyond an assessment of what his own contacts tell him. But even Canadian commanders claim to have heard about it.
"I have heard stories but I have nothing concrete to base that assessment on,'' Brig.-Gen Tim Grant, commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.
"I have heard stories there are members of the Taliban, who could be referred to as Tier 1, who are tired of the life they're leading. If that's the case, that's great news.''
The current governor of Kandahar, Assadullah Khalid, was coy when asked whether any hardliners would join the less committed insurgents in laying down their arms. He said the national reconciliation program to integrate former extremists into society is proceeding "and we are expecting a positive result.''
Signs that something is happening within the Taliban became evident this week when the group announced they intended to open schools in areas under their domination.
During its time in power, the Taliban closed schools and barred women from attending classes.
A year ago, the Taliban were still burning schools and beheading teachers, especially those who educated women. Such attacks have been cited by Afghans as a reason to fear a return of their extremist rule.
