The Long View: The Taliban Express

The Long War Journal is pleased to introduce The Long View, a monthly cartoon that tackles the issues of the war. The Long View is illustrated by Chris Muir.
This month's cartoon looks at the contentious issue of NATO supplies flowing through Pakistan to Afghanistan. The supply lines were shut down for seven months after US and Pakistani troops clashed on the border; then they reopened last month after a US apology, were shut down again due to security reasons, and then again reopened. Weeks later, supplies have just begun to trickle through to NATO troops in Afghanistan, after further delays blamed on Pakistani bureaucracy and lack of security. Meanwhile the Taliban and allied terror groups move across the border to fight NATO forces with ease.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2012/08/the_long_view_the_taliban_expr.php#ixzz22yQkrrZH

Taliban opens office in Iran

Intercepted communications showed members of the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps discussing plans to send surface-to-air missiles to Afghanistan Photo: ALAMY

By Ben Farmer, Kabul

3:53PM BST 01 Aug 2012

By helping the Taliban, Iran aims to derail a decade-long "strategic partnership" signed between Afghanistan and America in April. Tehran would also have the option of stirring violence in Afghanistan in retaliation for any US strike on its nuclear facilities.

A member of the Taliban's "Shura", or ruling council, was allowed to set up an office in May in the eastern Iranian city of Zahedan. Two months later, intercepted communications showed members of the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps discussing plans to send surface-to-air missiles to Afghanistan, although there was no evidence of the weapons actually being dispatched.


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The real-life Rambo: Brute strength of the Taliban fighter caught on camera as he brandishes TWO machine guns at once

This Taliban seem to be channelling Rambo as he fires two heavy machine guns at once completely unaided.
A video clip surfaced online of the man holding up two PKM machine guns and firing them – not unlike Sly Stallone’s infamous character in the Rambo films.
The unnamed Taliban fighter is showing incredible strength as these weapons are so heavy they normally demand a tripod to hold them up.

Taliban Rambo: The fighter shows incredible strength as he lifts the two heavy machine guns and fires them without the help of tripods

The man is thought to have died in a raid on a US base in Afghanistan.
Insurgent attacks in the past three months were up by 11 per cent compared to the same period last year, NATO figures confirmed on Thursday.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2180269/Brute-strength-Taliban-fighter-caught-camera-brandishing-TWO-machine-guns-once.html#ixzz220NlU6FI