Poll: Most in Afghanistan Say Life Better
7 Dec. Associated Press - Poll: Most in Afghanistan Say Life Better.
Quote:
More than three-fourths of the people living in Afghanistan say living conditions, security from crime and freedom of expression have improved from the days when they were living under Taliban rule, an ABC News poll says.
Almost nine in 10 - 87 percent - say the U.S.-led overthrow of the Taliban in 2001 was a good thing for the people of Afghanistan. And three-fourths of Afghans say their country is headed in the right direction...
Conservative MP: We are losing Afghan hearts
Telegraph opinion piece by Conservative MP Adam Holloway.
Quote:
In Helmand I learned that while the Afghans want us there, it is so that we provide precisely that reconstruction and security. We the British talk a good plan in terms of development and governance.
The only problem is that we are not delivering our "comprehensive approach". The Department for International Development's contribution has been woeful.
"They sit in their office in the British base and write reports for London," said one local.
Only a few months ago the Taliban were a remote force, but now, as one person put it, "they are not in the mountains - they are in the houses." Not a mile from the British base fly white Taliban flags.
A friend of mine narrowly missed abduction recently just the other side of the river from Lash Kar Gar, the provincial capital. Some families are said to be sending a son to work with the Taliban - to protect the poppy fields, and for $10 a day. Our Royal Engineers have built checkpoints on the edges of Lash Kar Gar, but the Afghan army are said to be too afraid to man them at night - so security, even in this centre of an "Afghan Development Zone", remains an aspiration. Other checkpoints merely provide cover from view for Afghan police to rob road users. The Afghan government's department of health is reported to ask Taliban permission before carrying out child inoculations in most rural areas: this is "peace through reality".
...
Of course my knowledge is based on imperfect information, but I think we are contributing to the insurgency. While Afghans have cheered our troops following engagements with the Taliban, there seemed to be a widespread feeling amongst the people I spoke to in Lash Kar Gar that we are killing a lot of people through bombing, that there are many thousands of displaced people from the north, that people in the north are angry with the British, and that the Taliban are the only people who can protect poppy crops. In a sense it does not matter whether or not this is true. What matters is that they have come to think this, and that the Taliban exploit this and so are winning the information war.
Most families in Helmand are in some way involved in opium production. While the US wants mass eradication programmes, the Royal Marines believe that eradication fuels the insurgency, and that unless you have some sort of alternative lifestyle for people you should not destroy poppy. The UK might be the "lead" nation on drugs, yet we continue to help with eradication and recently supplied - via the Royal Logistics Corps base in Kandahar - 80 tractors for the purpose. So we are effectively throwing resources at a policy that results in increased violence against our troops. One official told me that we had to do some eradication, otherwise the US would steam in and do a lot more - so our eradication is a means of managing the US, not a means of managing insurgency.
...
We are in Afghanistan for the right reasons. Ministers rightly point to the many good things that are happening beyond the military activity, and you don't change a society like this in seven days. Our troops are keeping their side of the bargain and performing with great heroism, buying time for development and governance initiatives to take hold. But the Armed Forces are being let down by the absence of these things.
A major reason that Iraq has not been a success is because, as a coalition, we failed to get to grips with the most basic need of the Iraqi people: security. Our Government needs to wake up to the real possibility of another strategic failure in Afghanistan if we do not turn words into action very, very soon. We can still do something about it, but there's not much time. If we do not, it will not only be the Afghan people who will be in greater danger: Britain will be as well.
Civilian Deaths Undermind Allies' War on Taliban
ZERKOH, Afghanistan, May 9 — Scores of civilian deaths over the past months from heavy American and allied reliance on airstrikes to battle Taliban insurgents are threatening popular support for the Afghan government and creating severe strains within the NATO alliance.
Afghan, American and other foreign officials say they worry about the political toll the civilian deaths are exacting on President Hamid Karzai, who last week issued another harsh condemnation of the American and NATO tactics, and even of the entire international effort here.....
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/13/wo...ef=todayspaper
Karzai Decries Civilian Deaths
24 June Washington Post - Karzai Decries Civilian Deaths by Griff Witte.
Quote:
Afghan President Hamid Karzai chastised U.S. and NATO-led troops Saturday for their "careless operations" and accused them of killing more than 90 civilians in the past 10 days, as fresh reports emerged of more noncombatant deaths.
Using some of his strongest language yet against the foreign forces that occupy his country, Karzai asserted that "Afghan life is not cheap and it should not be treated as such."
"We do not want any more military operations without coordinating them with the Afghan government," a visibly angry Karzai said at a news conference in Kabul, the capital. "From now onwards, they have to work the way we ask them to work in here."
It was unclear late Saturday whether Karzai's statement indicated that he plans to formally restrict the operations of the 32,000 NATO-led troops and 21,000 U.S.-led troops who patrol Afghanistan...
His concerned is echoed..
Our (Australian) Defence Minister had this to say today:
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has rung his Dutch counterpart to express his concern after Afghan President Hamid Karzai accused NATO troops of carelessly killing scores of Afghan civilians.
And:
"Given the Australian government's concerns regarding civilian casualties, ... Dr Nelson has spoken with his counterpart in The Netherlands, Eimert Van Middelkoop to discuss the operation and express his concerns."
ADF chief Angus Houston has also spoken with his Dutch counterpart, General Dick Berlijn, to discuss the operation generally including civilian casualties, defence said.
ADF vice-chief Ken Gillespie also has been in direct contact with the Dutch national commander in Afghanistan, and has told the Australian Reconstruction Task Force commander in Uruzgan to ensure that his views are expressed to the commander in Uruzgan province.
More at the link:
http://http://www.smh.com.au/news/wo...623734777.html
Civilian Casualties in COIN
And this would be exactly why I wrote this piece for SWJ.
This really requires a fundamental shift in thinking and conventional conflict thinking is deeply entrenched in Western militaries. NATO forces are no different. I am beginning to believe that the role of political advisors must be filled by those with a law enforcement and law enforcement policy background.
Best
Tom
If "borderline retarded" is politically incorrect,
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Cavguy
Just goes to show that we remain borderline retarded (un-PC word now, I know) when it comes to waging media battles.
If we screwed up, admit it. If we didn't declassify the evidence.
Don't use a 15-6 by some anon SF officer as a crutch. This is stupidity. You'd think that after a week we could get our story together.
I guess that means my "#*@%!^& criminally stupid" is worse, huh?
Good post, Niel.
SOCOM drives another nail in the 'accuracy in reporting' and 'trust' coffins...
Hate to disagree with two esteemed elderly gentlemen,
albeit only very slightly...:wry:
I think davidbfpo is mostly correct on the arrogance angle but it's also, IMO more complex than just that. He, Karzai, has to say something (which doesn't mean he isn't sincere) and we have to ignore him sometimes (which doesn't mean we're evil).
Tom Odom is absolutley correct in what he says but as I suspect he knows, when you're out there on the ground and our own troops are getting clobbered, civilization and what's best can go by the wayside. Joe and Tommy will take care of each other to Ahmed's detriment just as Ahmed and Mohkdar will take care of Ali to the detriment of Joe and Tommy.
Way of the world, I'm afraid.