Hearts and minds in Kunar province
Reuters
2011-10-15
Views 731
A joint patrol in Kunar Province.
U.S. troops join Afghan soldiers along the border with Pakistan.
They meet and greet local villagers ahead of a planned pullout of Afghanistan by US forces over the next couple of years.
They hold a Shura with elders, part of a hearts and minds campaign in Afghanistan to win the trust of the local population.
U.S. Army Commander Adam Ferree
SOUNDBITE: U.S. Army Commander Adam Ferree, saying: (English):
"The ANA is new here so they just wanted to get their names out there and talk with those guys."
Winning the trust of the local population is key to the counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan. The idea is if the population trusts security forces they will be more likely to handover information about the insurgency.
Villagers say they just don't want to be forgotten.
SOUNDBITE: Abdul Ahmad, saying: (Pashto):
"If the foreign troops leave Afghanistan they should not forget Afghanistan they should cooperate with us so we can improve our economy and our country. Afghanistan is a backward country, as you know our national army needs more equipment like heavy guns, helicopters etc. to defend our country."
These kind of patrols are key building blocks for the future says Major General Carsten Jacobson in Kabul who was made available to Reuters by the Pentagon.
SOUNDBITE: Major General Carsten Jacobson, saying: (English):
"This is the crucial part of any counterinsurgency, winning the civilian population and persuading the civilian population that government forces in this case, Afghan National Security Forces, and whilst we are here, ISAF forces bring security/ With security comes governance with governance comes law and order and at the end of day a functioning state that has to reach the last valley of Afghanistan and the last little village of Afghanistan."
The United States will withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan by year-end and 23,000 more by next summer, as the United States and its NATO allies work towards handing over security to full Afghan control by the end of 2014.
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters
U.S. troops join Afghan soldiers along the border with Pakistan.
They meet and greet local villagers ahead of a planned pullout of Afghanistan by US forces over the next couple of years.
They hold a Shura with elders, part of a hearts and minds campaign in Afghanistan to win the trust of the local population.
U.S. Army Commander Adam Ferree
SOUNDBITE: U.S. Army Commander Adam Ferree, saying: (English):
"The ANA is new here so they just wanted to get their names out there and talk with those guys."
Winning the trust of the local population is key to the counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan. The idea is if the population trusts security forces they will be more likely to handover information about the insurgency.
Villagers say they just don't want to be forgotten.
SOUNDBITE: Abdul Ahmad, saying: (Pashto):
"If the foreign troops leave Afghanistan they should not forget Afghanistan they should cooperate with us so we can improve our economy and our country. Afghanistan is a backward country, as you know our national army needs more equipment like heavy guns, helicopters etc. to defend our country."
These kind of patrols are key building blocks for the future says Major General Carsten Jacobson in Kabul who was made available to Reuters by the Pentagon.
SOUNDBITE: Major General Carsten Jacobson, saying: (English):
"This is the crucial part of any counterinsurgency, winning the civilian population and persuading the civilian population that government forces in this case, Afghan National Security Forces, and whilst we are here, ISAF forces bring security/ With security comes governance with governance comes law and order and at the end of day a functioning state that has to reach the last valley of Afghanistan and the last little village of Afghanistan."
The United States will withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan by year-end and 23,000 more by next summer, as the United States and its NATO allies work towards handing over security to full Afghan control by the end of 2014.
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters
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