Afghan Peace Negotiator Killed

September 20, 2011

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Via the BBC: Afghan peace council head Rabbani killed in attack

The chairman of the Afghan High Peace Council, Burhanuddin Rabbani, has been killed with several others in a bomb attack in Kabul, officials say.

Mr Rabbani was killed at his home by a suicide attacker who officials suspect had concealed a bomb in his turban.

He was meeting members of the Taliban at the time. The council leads Afghan efforts to negotiate with the Taliban.

According to the piece one of two Taliban members who had come to negotiate with Rabbani is suspected of having smuggled the bomb into the meeting.

5 responses to “Afghan Peace Negotiator Killed”

11B40

September 20, 2011 at 12:02 pm

Greetings:

Every time I hear of a negotiating session between a real government and a bunch of murdering insurgents, I can’t help but think of a little bit of history I came across in T.R. Fehrenbach’s “Comanches: The History of a People.”

It seems that back in the mid-1800s, the Texicans were having a bit of trouble with the Comanches. The Texicans, while a diverse and multicultural group themselves, were not so diverse or multicultural as to willingly accept the Comanches’ cultural proclivities, specifically, raiding and murdering and raping and stealing. Apparently, the Texicans felt that as they did not accept these activities from their own people, they would not have to worry about being dragged before the International Criminal Court, or some such, for violating the human rights of the aforementioned Comanches.

Now, one of the Comanche cultural activities that the Texicans didn’t mind too much was giving them gifts and certainly, the Comanches, except in the case of extreme paltriness, didn’t mind accepting them as long as they didn’t have to reciprocate. So, one day a Texican military officer thought, hey, let’s offer the Comanches a bunch of giftees and see if they’ll come to San Antonio (Antone to Texicans) and negotiate peace with us. So, the offer was conveyed and then the Comanches conveyed themselves to San Antonio for a big pow-wow at the local courthouse (because there are thing Texicans don’t approve of as the above aforementioned). So, the Indians arrive and are appropriately welcomed into the courthouse at which point, the Texicans, who apparently weren’t all that clear on the cross-cultural implications of a “pow-wow”, locked the courthouse doors and began shooting as many Comanche chiefs as they could as quickly and as often as they could. It seems that when “pow-wow” is translated into the Texican, it comes out as more of a “Pow!!! – Wow!!!”

Now, I’m not saying that this is how we should treat all our muslims brothers and sisters, bit I’m kind of thinking that a small scale pilot program might be a worthwhile “investment”.
CB

September 20, 2011 at 12:04 pm

but another footnote in our true long national nightmare
Doug Mataconis

September 20, 2011 at 12:08 pm

Like I said the other day, they will fight for a thousand years if they have to.
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It’s time for us to leave them to their self-destruction, I think.
ponce

September 20, 2011 at 12:56 pm

It’s time for us to leave them to their self-destruction, I think.

That seems a little flippant after we destroyed their country.

That a few thousand poorly armed goat herders have managed to humble our trillion dollar a year killing machine should be accorded some respect, not derision.
mantis

September 20, 2011 at 12:59 pm

That seems a little flippant after we destroyed their country.

Apologies to the Afghans, but what country?