The Taliban militia ruling in Kabul are unlikely to heed the warning of US President George W Bush, giving them "a second chance" to surrender. Like the British and the Soviets who failed to break Afghanistan into submission in the past, the US too seems to have failed to read the Afghan mind. The Taliban are not about to split in the face of week-long bombings and loss of life and property. Whatever their internal contradictions, they are likely to remain united against a common enemy. The few commanders who have reportedly changed sides have done so for local compulsions, or ethnic and tribal considerations, or for lure of money and position.