Taliban leader says look to history as 8-year anniversary looms

As the eighth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan approaches, Taliban leader Mullah Omar suggests that American and NATO military advisers take a closer look at the history of war in Afghanistan.

The conflict in Afghanistan is fast approaching its eighth year, initialized by the attacks of September 11, 2001. And as top American military brass and the American government are debating the merits of additional troop deployments to Afghanistan, the Taliban's top leader Mullah Omar is suggesting that military planners take a closer look at the history of conflict in Afghanistan. Canada has already decided to withdraw all of its troops by 2011, and Italy announced plans to remove 500 troops in the very near future. In this backdrop of a shaky NATO alliance with regard to Afghanistan, Mullah Omar sought to remind Western leaders of the historical difficulties that war in Afghanistan has repeatedly presented. "We would like to point out that we fought against the British invaders for 80 years from 1839 to 1919," read a statement on a web site frequently utilized by the Taliban. "Today we have strong determination, military training and effective weapons. Still more, we have preparedness for a long war and the regional situation is in our favor. Therefore, we will continue to wage jihad until we gain independence and force the invaders to pull out." While the statement was attributed to Mullah Omar, it could not be verified as having come from him. Omar is believed to be hiding in Pakistan, and he has not been seen for years. Afghanistan has been a country in conflict - with turmoil that spans back to the 18th century. In 1839, the First Anglo-Afghan War began with a costly British invasion that led to the Massacre of Elphinstone's Army in 1842 - where 16,000 British troops were forced to retreat and were ultimately annihilated. A Second Anglo-Afghan War ensued in 1878 but was quickly resolved. In 1901, a Third Anglo-Afghan War broke out, and the 20th century was a long stretch of assassinations and upheavals. Late in 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in an effort to protect the puppet government that was in place there. With support from the United States, the conflict lasted 10 years - and the Soviet military withdrew in 1989. A period of civil war followed the Soviet departure, and the Taliban took charge in 1994 - instituting brutal religious measures to establish a sense of order in the country. The September 11 attacks brought U.S. and NATO troops into Afghanistan, and the conflict still rages today.