The Taliban are not terrorists

Based on the information I got, only Taliban terrorists were killed in the strike. - German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung, defending the air strike that killed nearly 100 people in Afghanistan last week

The rhetoric being used in this war is so ludicrous I actually feel guilty for having, literally, laughed out loud at it. Let's review the real facts: the Taliban were not responsible for the 9-11 attacks. Even if you believe al Qaeda was behind 9-11, not criminal elements within our own government, the Taliban were willing to cooperate with the US government prior to our invasion in 2001. They said, very simply, show us the proof bin Laden was behind the attack, and we will hand him over for trial. Despite claiming to have overwhelming evidence of bin Laden's involvement, the government refused to divulge it - not to the Taliban, and not even to the American people. Yes, that's right: you've never seen evidence of bin Laden's involvement. That's because the government has no hard evidence he was responsible in any way. Look at the FBI's "most wanted" poster, revised in November 2001. Not one word about 9-11. "But," you say, "What about the video they found in Tora Bora where bin Laden admits he was behind it?" Examine the photograph comparison between the real bin Laden and the "bin Laden" in the video:

Clearly the "bin Laden" in the video (left photos) is a fraud. Like the rest of the evidence used to justify the belief it was al Qaeda who carried out 9-11, and not criminal elements within our own government and possibly others, it was planted.

But, leaving that aside and returning to the supposition that the Taliban are "terrorists", when has this ever been true? Before we invaded their country, not only were they too impoverished and squalid to pose a threat to the United States, but they were too busy banning the opium trade and flogging women who let their burkas slip; both lamentable acts to our government, I'm sure. The Taliban are not in America hijacking fuel trucks. They're in their own country. They are fighting an alien power who, as documented above, has no legitimate reason for being there.

The maxim one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter doesn't even apply here. The United States and NATO are the terrorists in Afghanistan. Americans, and Germans, sleep soundly in their beds at night, while the Afghan people are dodging our bombs.