Jihad etiquette. “Taliban Chief Writes ‘Handbook’ to Win Hearts and Minds of Afghans,” by Jessica Weinstein for FoxNews, August 11 (thanks to all who sent this in):
WARDAK PROVINCE, Afghanistan “” As elections draw near in Afghanistan, it appears the Taliban are launching a hearts-and-minds campaign of their own.
In recent weeks, Mullah Mohammad Omar, commander of Taliban forces, has released a code-of-ethics handbook that, among other directives, warns his followers not to conscript children or target innocent people. It also says bombs should be used to kill only government officials and coalition soldiers.
In the 62-bullet-point handbook, homicide bombers get specific instructions. They are to “be fully-educated in their mission”; they are to target “high ranking people”; and they are to “try your best to avoid killing local people.”
Taliban followers are further prohibited from smoking cigarettes, using captured vehicles for their personal use, cutting noses, lips or ears off detainees, and drafting “youngsters that have no beard.” (As soon as a boy can grow a beard, he is considered an adult in Afghan culture.)
The handbook “” written in Pashto and obtained through U.S. military sources “” is entitled “Afghanistan Islamic Emirate Rules and Regulations,” and it is addressed to the “Mujahideen Pashto,” or Taliban commanders. Written on May 9 in Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, it characterizes the Taliban’s fight as a “jihad” that can be achieved only if “it is done according to the framework of the established rules and regulations.”…
Yep. Got to observe those rules and regulations.