Article

2010-08-03 Afghanistan

In Kandahar, U.S. tries the lessons of Baghdad

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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2010-08-03 10:59|| || Front Page|| [7 views ] Top

#1 Providing utilities is a good move, provided the Taliban is not permitted to control the generators, systems, and billing mechanisms as they have with the current power grid and network.

Posted by Besoeker 2010-08-03 15:37|| 2010-08-03 15:37|| Front Page Top

#2 In Baghdad, the use of checkpoints, identification cards and walled-off communities helped to reduce violence because there were two feuding factions, riven by sect. Because the city had been carved into a collection of separate Sunni and Shiite neighborhoods, U.S. forces were able to place themselves along the borders. Both sides tolerated the tactics to a degree because they came to believe U.S. troops would protect them from their rivals.

The conflict in Kandahar is far murkier. There are no differences in religion or ethnicity: Nearly everyone here is a Sunni Pashtun. There are divisions among tribes and clans, but they are not a reliable indicator of support for the Taliban.

Desperation. Trying something on the off chance it might work.

Posted by phil_b 2010-08-03 23:30|| 2010-08-03 23:30|| Front Page Top

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