Taliban Now Targeting... Sen. Lindsey Graham?

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has captured the attention of the Taliban after suggesting Sunday on "Meet the Press" that permanent U.S. military installations in Afghanistan would be "enormously beneficial to the region."

On Tuesday, an anti-Western, anti-Afghan organization called "The Taliban Voice of Jihad Online" released a statement responding to Graham's comments, claiming them as proof the U.S. is trying to occupy Afghanistan. According to Fox News, the group represents the interests of Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

In a strongly worded, propaganda-style statement in which it called out Graham by name, the Taliban group responded that the senator’s remarks “reveal the colonialist intentions of America” under the guise of a War on Terror.

“Such remarks by a well-known official of invading America clearly shows that the war on terrorism has been a drama, produced by Washington,” the Voice of Jihad said of Graham’s comments.

The Taliban Voice of Jihad Online also claimed the U.S. wants to “loot” the nation of its raw materials in order to capitalize on the shift in industrial development from Western nations to Asia and called attacks on Afghan civilian sites like markets and mosques “conspiracies by the invading America.”

On Thursday, Graham addressed the Taliban's claims during an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.  The request for an American presence in the region must come from the Afghan people, Graham clarified.

Something tells me this clarification will do little to appease the Taliban.  Nice effort, though, Senator.