{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Kabul Press","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.kabulpress.org","title":"Afghanistan\u2019s Army of Sand","author_name":"Matthew J. Nasuti (Former U.S. Air Force Captain)","width":"600","height":"400","url":"https:\/\/mail.bamyanpress.com\/article115725.html","html":"\u003Ch4 class='title'\u003E\u003Ca href='https:\/\/mail.bamyanpress.com\/article115725.html'\u003EAfghanistan\u2019s Army of Sand\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\u003Cblockquote class='spip'\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIronically, if the Taliban return to power after NATO forces retreat in 2014, it will be due to their ability to exploit a basic tenant of democracy, which is the freedom to choose.  The current size of the Taliban\u2019s army is irrelevant because ruling Afghanistan has traditionally flowed to the party that can convince the various tribal and ethnic groups to shift to its side.  The Afghan National Army, which is a broad-based national army in name only, has no traditions and identity (\u2026)\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n"}