Manpower is readily available for the Taliban from local regions, Saudi Arabia or no Saudi Arabia.
TORONTO: There is no doubt that people in Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and even North America and Europe, all donate to al Qaeda and the Taliban. However, other than this, there is also the opium trade which is thriving on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and this is something, at least on the Afghan side, that the Americans need to do something about. Furthermore, at least for the Taliban, manpower is readily available from local regions, Saudi Arabia or no Saudi Arabia.
Nadeem Ahmed
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2010.
