# Former Afghan President Assassinated



## AWP (Sep 20, 2011)

This isn't good. My money's on the HQN for this job.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/20/world/asia/afghanistan-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t2



> Burhanuddin Rabbani, a former Afghan president who had been leading the Afghan peace council, was killed in an attack at his home.


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## Brill (Sep 20, 2011)

Nah, it was probably Karzai cleaning house for when the gringos pull out.  Pashtuns don't play.  Ok, well the old men play with the teenage boys but that's another thread.


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## AWP (Sep 20, 2011)

LOL @ the pedophile reference.

I say the HQN just because they're the only ones really making a statement in the east right now and it behooves them to make the TB appear to be the ones behind the attack. Karzai benefits from a dead Rabbani, but not under these circumstances. I could be way off base, but I see Karzai striking a deal with the devil and keeping the TB on his side so they can go after the HQN once we leave.


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## Servimus (Sep 20, 2011)

Freefalling said:


> I could be way off base, but I see Karzai striking a deal with the devil and keeping the TB on his side so they can go after the HQN once we leave.


I understand that the HQN is more or less a tool of the Pakistani Govt. within the Afghan border, but they do have some autonomy, don't they?

What I'm getting at is do you really think that HQN and the Taliban would go toe to toe one day? Honest questions, apologies if they're bad ones.


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## AWP (Sep 20, 2011)

Servimus said:


> I understand that the HQN is more or less a tool of the Pakistani Govt. within the Afghan border, but they do have some autonomy, don't they?
> 
> What I'm getting at is do you really think that HQN and the Taliban would go toe to toe one day? Honest questions, apologies if they're bad ones.



Some of this is over in the Terrorist Talk thread, but yes and no. As to them vs. the TB one day, I think it is very likely. They did this once before, the HQN even went after fellow "devout" Muslims before the TB. The HQN want to run the show. At best I can see them trying to carve out an enclave like the Kurds have done in Northern Iraq.


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## Servimus (Sep 20, 2011)

Freefalling said:


> Some of this is over in the Terrorist Talk thread, but yes and no. As to them vs. the TB one day, I think it is very likely. They did this once before, the HQN even went after fellow "devout" Muslims before the TB. The HQN want to run the show. At best I can see them trying to carve out an enclave like the Kurds have done in Northern Iraq.


All right. Thanks.


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## Brill (Sep 21, 2011)

Freefalling said:


> I see Karzai striking a deal with the devil...



Totally agree.  He's an Afghan and will switch sides as soon as it enables his survival; either physically or financially.


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## Marauder06 (Sep 21, 2011)

Freefalling said:


> This isn't good. My money's on the HQN for this job.
> 
> http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/20/world/asia/afghanistan-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t2



I like to blame the HQN for pretty much everything, including the traffic jam on my way in to work ;)  but yeah, a high-profile assassination against someone deeply involved in the reconciliation process, using suicide bombers?  Could indeed be the Haqqanis.



Servimus said:


> I understand that the HQN is more or less a tool of the Pakistani Govt. within the Afghan border, but they do have some autonomy, don't they?
> 
> What I'm getting at is do you really think that HQN and the Taliban would go toe to toe one day? Honest questions, apologies if they're bad ones.



I don't think the TB and HQN will fight after we pull out.  First of all, they're both being played by the same puppeteer (Pakistan) and I think the HQN would be happy with regionalized power (P2K and  a little beyond) and some high-level posts within a Taliban-led government.  I _*do*_ think that the HQN and TB will be fighting with everyone else though.


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