Well, forgotten by most of the MSM that is. Nothing runs off the press like the smell of success.

But success is undeniable in Afghanistan, and things are looking better there all the time. According to this account, some senior Taliban leaders are not only taking President Karzai’s amnesty offer, but they are also actively encouraging others to do so as well.

One of the Taliban’s most senior and charismatic commanders has become a key negotiator as more and more members of the Islamic militia in Afghanistan give up the fight against the Americans.

The commander, Abdul Salam, earned the nickname Mullah Rockety because he was so accurate with rocket propelled grenades against Russian troops.
He later joined the Taliban as a corps commander in Jalalabad before being captured by the Americans after September 11.

Now he is a supporter of President Hamid Karzai and is tempting diehard Taliban fighters to accept an amnesty offer and reconcile themselves to Afghanistan’s first directly elected leader.

It’s not over yet, and Mullah Omar is promising a spring “offensive” against US and Afghani forces, but it appears likely that Omar is simply blind to the new realities on the ground. (sorry).

The people of Afghanistan have embraced democracy. And that is a beautiful thing to see. And speaking of beautiful, here’s my favorite soldier posing with a truckload of confiscated drugs.