UNDERESTIMATING THE TALIBAN COSTLY: WE DIDN'T ALSO EVEN KNOW THEY CAN FLY.

ICHEOKU says the fact that they can get that baby up in the sky and also safely land it back on the ground speaks volumes about the new Taliban 2.0 and their readiness to outperform expectations. Nobody ever thought that they know how to drive armored vehicles, talkless of flying a helicopter; but they have once again proved everyone wrong. It was the same way they survived the 20 years of world powers occupation of Afghanistan and eventually toppled the government in Kabul and are now in power.

What else about the Taliban is the West misreading or "mis-underestimating" or not understanding that will eventually spring a rude surprise on them. The West underestimated the Taliban several times before and they are today still being cocky about them, despite having  routed a government which the West backed and supported militarily. What is wrong with those cranking out policies in the West one may ask. Instead of the tough guy posture and we have the leverage to choke the life out of them attitude being exhibited by the West, the better approach should be to be humble in defeat and explore ways of accepting the reality that is Taliban now in charge in Afghanistan. But the longer the West waits on the sidelines from recognizing the Taliban, the more it will be difficult to reel them in within an acceptable behavior.

The Taliban have proved severally that they are better than we give them credit for and that underestimating them is to our own detriment; so, why the adamancy on the old approach. They came before and were very ruthless, but that was 20 years ago; why not give them the benefit of the doubt that they might be different this time, no matter how miniscule. They have made a lot of promises too to be of good behavior and so far they are still tallying along those narrow lines, without veering off to their notorious old hardline display of absolutism. It is a window of opportunity which is open to the West and which could be used to contain them and somewhat also control them. It is therefore incumbent on the West not to allow it to close or go to waste. 

We might also be surprised to see how quickly all those aircrafts, vehicles and equipments which departing American military damaged and abandoned in Afghanistan will be repaired by the Taliban. Once they are repaired and added to the thousands of other military fully functional vehicles including armored tanks which were also left for them, they might very quickly turn Afghanistan into a regional military power in South-central Asia. They are nearly finishing the formation of their all inclusive Afghanistan national government and with support from their Pakistan neighbors, their MiddleEast friends and other fellow Muslim countries such as Turkey, the Taliban might once again surprise the West by in fact running an effective government in Kabul. 

The arrogance of the West is in the way and once again making a fool of the West by their not grabbing with two hands the opportunity to embrace the Taliban fully and be in a position to influence their government. Sanctions which normally work against civilized countries will not work with the Taliban because majority of them have never been on an airplane talkless of enjoying vacations in the West. Majority of them too do not have bank accounts talkless of having secret Switzerland coded accounts or in the Cayman, Bahamas, New York or London which the West can cease. Majority of them too do not have their children going to posh schools and universities in the West who could be targeted by any sanctions and lastly, they do not have palate for Western fine wines, cigars and delicacies. 

So, what exactly is the West going to sanction the Taliban with which will force them to change their ways and behavior, assuming they decides to call the bluff of America and its Western allies and reboot their old ways. They have all the weapons, equipments and military vehicles which they will need for their natural pastime, fighting; at least it will last them for the next decade or two; and they got them for free. The West therefore have no serious leverage over the Taliban and it will be in the West's best interest not to turn their back on the Taliban. The best foot forward is to immediately recognize their government, bring them closer and work with them in order to try and moderate them from within. If they can fly a chopper, it means they can do a lot more and the West must not allow itself to be left behind as the Taliban train roars off.