Britannia Radio

The following is research published today from MEMRI’s Special Dispatch Series and TV Project. Pakistani Taliban Kidnaps Pakistani Children to Exert Pressure on Pakistani and Afghan Governments Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Denies Recruiting Children: 'The Islamic Emirate has Not Been Facing Any Shortage of Manpower of Mujahideen' Taliban Statement on Desertions in Afghan National Army: 'Americans' Dream of Staying in Barracks And Leaving the Afghan National Army to Fight against Mujahideen will Get Nowhere' In Eid Message, Taliban Chief Hakimullah Mehsud Exhorts His Fighters: 'Today, Once Again, the Holy Land of Jerusalem Awaits You' Special Dispatch No. 4132—Pakistan/Taliban/Afghanistan Pakistani Taliban Kidnaps Pakistani Children to Exert Pressure on Pakistani and Afghan Governments Following are excerpts from a report on Pakistani children kidnapped by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which aired on Al-Jazeera on September 8, 2011. To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3111.htm. Reporter: "In an attempt to stress their power and demands, Taliban militants have resorted to a new strategy, as a means to exert pressure on the Pakistani and Afghan governments. A special unit of Taliban-Pakistan kidnapped a group of children from the town of Bajaur on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and transferred them to an unknown location along the border. "The unit's commander appears here for the first time, in order to explain the reasons for this measure, and to outline their demands in return for the kidnapped boys." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5638.htm. Special Dispatch No. 4133—South Asia Studies Project/Jihad & Terrorism Threat Monitor/Indoctrination of Children/Afghanistan/Taliban Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Denies Recruiting Children: 'The Islamic Emirate has Not Been Facing Any Shortage of Manpower of Mujahideen' In a new statement, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's shadow government) has criticized media reports that the Taliban use young children for martyrdom operations. The September 2 statement, which denies the use of children by the Taliban, comes in the wake of the Karzai government releasing a number of children who were allegedly recruited for martyrdom operations. It also said that the Taliban are not facing a shortage of manpower. The Taliban statement, which says that the Taliban's Code of Conduct forbids the recruitment of children, observes that young children are not capable of carrying out the military operations undertaken by the Taliban. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5639.htm. To view these reports, you must be a paying member of the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Project (JTTM). For membership information, send an email to jttmsubs@memri.org with "Membership" in the subject line. Special Dispatch No. 4134—South Asia Studies Project/Afghanistan/Taliban/Jihad & Terrorism Threat Monitor Taliban Statement on Desertions in Afghan National Army: 'Americans' Dream of Staying in Barracks And Leaving the Afghan National Army to Fight against Mujahideen will Get Nowhere' The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's shadow government in the country) on Saturday issued a statement on the growing desertions of soldiers in the Afghan National Army (ANA). Citing reports in the Western media, it noted that causes of such desertions include mistreatment of soldiers by ANA officers, as well as lack of medical assistance to wounded troops. The statement claimed that if the desertions continue, the security transition process in Afghanistan and the plan by the U.S. to shift U.S. troops from active missions and patrols to barracks in Afghanistan after 2014 may not materialize. The Taliban statement added: "No remedy and strategy of the Americans is proving to deliver. Even now there are obvious rifts in the national army. If the troop defection tempo continues unabated and the mujahideen momentum keeps on without let-up, the Americans' dream of staying in barracks and leaving the Afghan National Army to fight against mujahideen will get nowhere." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5640.htm. To view these reports, you must be a paying member of the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Project (JTTM). For membership information, send an email to jttmsubs@memri.org with "Membership" in the subject line. Special Dispatch No. 4135—Jihad & Terrorism Threat Monitor/Taliban/Pakistan In Eid Message, Taliban Chief Hakimullah Mehsud Exhorts His Fighters: 'Today, Once Again, the Holy Land of Jerusalem Awaits You' In a message to Muslims on the occasion of Eid, Hakimullah Mehsud, the Emir of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), outlined a vision of global jihad, stating that "Today, once again, the holy land of Jerusalem awaits you [mujahideen]." Eid, which marks the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, was celebrated on August 30 and 31. Hakimullah Mehsud said, "Today the Jews and Crusaders have gained control of our holy sites and our resources only because the majority of Muslims are engrossed in the pleasures of this world, preferring its life over martyrdom." In the message, which was posted on a jihadi Internet forum on September 4, the TTP chief also claimed that Taliban fighters have increased attacks on Pakistani security forces in the Pakistani district of Swat and Mohmand Agency. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5641.htm. To view these reports, you must be a paying member of the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Project (JTTM). For membership information, send an email to jttmsubs@memri.org with "Membership" in the subject line.