Trust, Politics and Religion in the Afghan War

While my first reaction to this is "ABC has a news reporter?", I do have to admit that I have other thoughts.

This is funny! I want to listen in on some of this, just for kicks. Good taunts are always fun to listen to.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Afghanistan/trust-politics-religion-afghan-war/story?id=9935912

It's a remarkable combination of psychological warfare, political roundtable and trash-talking. Afghan soldiers and Taliban fighters taunt each other, debate each other and try to persuade each other almost daily over their radios, at times while even shooting at each other.
ABC's Miguel Marquez was just a few feet away from the explosion.

I came across the astonishing facet of the Afghan War while spending time with the 302nd kandak, or battalion, of the Afghan National Army. The foes chatter with each other over their Vietnam-era, two-way radio system. It's such an antiquated system that the Taliban and the Afghan forces share radio frequencies, and verbal barbs, as they try to kill or capture one another.

I asked Maj. Said Rahim Hakmal what they talk about. Politics, he said. "The Taliban will say things like why do you side with the Americans? Why do you sell out your country? You love Obama more than Afghanistan."

Hakmal said the standard response goes something like, "The Americans are here to help our country function again. They don't want to stay. They want to help, then leave. You should help, too."

Then the shooting starts.