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Army’s latest tactic to defeat Taliban... give them bags of gold
Ross Lydall and Peter Dominiczack17 Nov 2009
British forces in Afghanistan should bribe potential insurgents to stop them joining the Taliban, according to a new Army manual.
It recommends talking to rebels with “blood on their hands” and suggests that “bags of gold” can buy support. The Taliban pays fighters $10 (£5.95) a day.
The strategy, which replaces British counter-insurgency doctrine based on the Army's experience in Northern Ireland, was published as Gordon Brown gave further details of his exit strategy. He said he wanted Nato forces to begin handing over areas of the country to the Afghan army next year. However, there are about 9,000 British troops in Helmand and some are likely to remain until at least 2011.
Previous attempts to pay Afghan farmers to stop them growing poppy for heroin were a failure and cost about £16 million.
Speaking at the launch of the document, Major-General Paul Newton told The Times: “The best weapons to counter-insurgents don't shoot. In other words, use bags of gold in the short-term. But you don't just chuck gold at them, this has to be done wisely.”
Reader views (15)
Please bring my bag of gold round at the weekend, or I will join the Taliban.
Pay my mortgage off or I will join Al-Quada
Buy me a season ticket at Chelsea or I will go and support Arsenal, oh wait that last one is surely beyond belief?
- Kerry, Purley, 17/11/2009 22:33
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and then the person you've tried to blackmail out of joining the Taliban takes that money and promptly gives it to the Taliban when he joins them, thus allowing them to buy more weapons, recruit more members, live better lives, and they all laugh heartily at the abject stupidity of this government and their utterly stupid ideas!
- Kathy, London, 17/11/2009 14:35
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Good idea, whilst we still have some gold left. As remainder in the Treasury is due to be given to the EU Central Bank as part of the Lisbon Treaty, circular 1st December 2009.
- Bill, Hay~Heath UK, 17/11/2009 13:10
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Did someone say this was a religious outcome....so Gold is for which religion ?
- Bemused...., Toulouse, France., 17/11/2009 12:53
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Simplistic and naive. What evidence is this new wheeze based on ? How on earth would it be policed ? Its all very well getting someone to defect from the Taleban by convincing him that the government is doing better for his area/tribe than the insurgency might achieve and oiling that defection with some support. But to try to deter the potential Taleban recruit with money in the face of probable disillusion with a corrupt government can only be regarded as likely to be counter productive - where is the corruption now ? This has not been thought through.
- Peter Haldane, Chelmsford, 17/11/2009 12:45
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Thirty pieces of silver would be more appropriate to complete the betrayal.....
- Azmat, Dengie, 17/11/2009 11:14
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Er, why not buy so decent equipment for the troops first?, or is this money coming from the underserved bonuses of the MOD penpushers????
- Alan, carlisle uk, 17/11/2009 10:41
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Idiot !!!
- A Tax Slave, london, 17/11/2009 10:40
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That if once you have paid him the Danegeld,
You never get rid of the Dane.
- Mike, bristol, 17/11/2009 10:04
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WOW free gold to Taliban members! Im of to join the Taliban!Then retire for life!!!! A nuclear bomb on them would serve are purpose better i venture to add.
- Kev, London-UK, 17/11/2009 09:58
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Pay Afghan farmers for their poppies and then destroy the crop. Pay them high prices and pay promptly. Local support for the terrorists will vanish.
- Simon, London, 17/11/2009 09:57
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What gold?
Gormless Brown sold the UK gold reserves for an all-time low of LESS than $300 per troy ounce.
Gold yesterday was priced at OVER $1,100.00 per troy ounce.
Doesn't it show that Gormless Brown did not even obtain an A-Level in mathematics?
- Reuben Camara, Plot 1, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR, 17/11/2009 09:20
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Here we are going on about a corrupt Afghan Govt that is steeped in corruption from top to bottom, and the only solution we can come up with is to bribe the treacherous warlords with millions of dollars to switch their allegiances from the Taliban to us. It makes me despair. humanitarian aid yes, but no to putting money into the pockets of treacherous politicians and warlords. The first thing we need to do is raze that poppy crop to the ground and put in the aid to rebuild the economy and the country.
- Dhan Raj, Basildon, 17/11/2009 08:43
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So bribery is ok for negotiating the defence of our troops in foreign lands but not ok for negotiating defence contracts in foreign lands.
No wait, im confused.
- Mw, London, UK, 17/11/2009 08:00
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Woo the taliban with bags of gold. Dont make me laugh, we havent got any, Labour sold all our gold reserves.
- Ann Other, Heathrow, 17/11/2009 07:40
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