Security has consistently failed to take hold in Afghanistan. The provisional and transitional governments that came about after the toppling down of the Taleban regime could not maintain it. Then the government was new and weak. The democratic government that followed presidential elections and oversaw the creation and election of a legislature too, failed to provide full security in the country. On the contrary, security situation that affects all aspects of Afghan life, has deteriorated with the consistent violence and attacks staged by never-ending Taleban and Al-Qaeda related terrorist activities and a reactionary insurgency. There is no doubt foreign interference has further fanned the fire of violence, but it alone could not be totally blamed for everything that goes wrong in Afghanistan.

So why is it that a country that had suffered drastically in the hands of the reactionary regime of Taleban, is still a victim of their attacks and atrocities when a national and democratic government is in place? Why is it that the presence of a large force comprised of the most modern military of the Western world-the US, NATO, and other Western Coalition forces, have not been able to serve to deter the Taleban acts of violence? Why is it that suicidal attacks began to take root in Afghanistan where they were earlier considered by the Afghans to be acts of cowardice? Why is it that a handful of insurgency leaders, Taleban and Al-Qaeda are able to reorganize in the underground and launch attacks against international forces that call themselves forces of liberation and a newly emerging Afghan police that are considered the restorers of peace and security and district commissioners and governors that are agents of a democratic government?

To find some leads as to answering the above, it may be necessary to look at the delicate relationship between the government of Afghanistan and the international forces. A variety of other factors including social and economic development or the lack of it, failure to address the widespread corruption and the persistence of a culture of warlordism and operations of the drug kingpins attracted to huge amounts of money from trafficking of drugs also need to be addressed.

The US and the United Nations forces that made up a coalition to establish peace after the demise of the Taleban regime in Afghanistan were called forces of liberation by a nation that had fallen victim to protracted war, insecurity and finally of a repressive regime. Majority of Afghans gratefully put their hopes in these friendly forces. The Afghans expected that through a well-planned program these forces would be able to achieve set goals of security for the country, training of a national army, providing of diplomatic guarantees for regional peace and non-interference in the affairs of Afghanistan by its neighbors and then leave the country in the hands of an elected and democratic government.

Five years into the program, there is no end in sight as to the role of the coalition forces. Security has not improved; the national army may take another five years and probably longer to reach the goal of seventy thousand troops. The central government is still at the mercy of coalition forces to fight off insurgency and Taleban violence and the people are finding themselves in the middle of a protracted conflict. Collateral damage is still inflicted on the Afghan villagers who are located in the area that has gained the notorious distinction of being called Taleban country. They are finding themselves under pressure from both sides of the conflict. Furthermore, according to reports recent friendly fire has killed innocent civilians including children in one of the volatile eastern provinces of Afghanistan as well. President Hamed Karzai of Afghanistan has requested restraint on the part of the coalition forces so that civilian casualties would not occur.

SBC dateline broadcast a documentary on the dilemma of the Afghans living in the restive south of the country. It was called the Taliban Country. The program details on Link TV site state: “Away from the glare of the media, in the most remote and dangerous parts of Afghanistan, US marines are on a mission to hunt down the Taliban. But in many places their security sweeps are proving counterproductive. More and more villagers are alleging they have been abused by marines. Taliban Country is a disturbing exposé of American actions in Afghanistan. Journalist Carmela Baranowska spent three weeks embedded with the marines. She then returned in secret to document what was really happening. It’s a story of prisoners abused and villagers humiliated.”
The report has recorded live testimony from Afghan villagers who are publicly complaining of abuse of their honor, imprisonment, torture and naked searches as well as violation of their body parts. In Afghan culture in general and in Pashtun culture in particular this kind of violation of people’s bodies were never heard of. The Afghans by nature do not like, nor submit to arrogance. The result is obviously indignation and hatred towards the forces that commit these atrocities. This is not the way to win the hearts and minds of the people, but on the contrary, it creates animosity towards the coalition’s forces making them forces of occupation rather than those of liberation.

On the other hand, democratic governance has a long way to come to fruition when it would produce tangible results in the form of provision of security and embarking on self-reliance in making of economic prosperity a reality. Agriculture and industries are in dire need of resuscitation and development. Health and Education are sill the unmet immediate needs of the population and corruption one of the biggest social evils in the country. The original state of hope has therefore eroded somewhat. A dilapidated infrastructure is in dire need of reparation and rapid urbanization has further contributed to the problems. Meeting these needs would bring the people and the government closer together and would give them a better chance in fighting off insurgency, Taleban and Al-Qaeda terrorists. One must fight these evils from the grassroots.

On the other hand, the Los Angeles Times in a report published earlier by its staff writer, Paul Watson, had carried a strange revelation whereby computer drives had found their way outside the main US military base and were sold in the village bazaar, hardly a couple of hundred yards away from the main US military base of Bagram. The very fact that these drives and flash cards were stolen from the camp shows the inefficiency of the camp. This has also revealed information that is injurious to the conduct of the US military especially regarding the affairs of the national government’s administration and a lack of much needed coordination between the government of President Karzai and the US and Coalition forces. Furthermore, these have highlighted the need for more diplomatic cooperation between the government of the United States and Afghanistan in order to gain the trust of the people rather than their suspicion. The APP that carried the report from Islamabad in Pakistan said: "One of the computer drives stolen from Bagram contained a series of slides prepared for a January 2005 briefing of American military officials that identified several Afghan governors and police chiefs as 'problem makers' involved in kidnapping, the opium trade and attacks on allied troops with improvised bombs." According to the report: “A chart dated January 2, 2005, listed five Afghans as "Tier One warlords." It identified Afghanistan's former defense minister Mohammed Qassim Fahim, current military chief of staff Abdul Rashid Dostam and counter-narcotics chief Gen. Mohammed Daoud as being involved in narcotics trade.” Obviously, these serious accusations require joint study by both the Afghan government and the United States authorities. If the allegations were true, why is it that neither the Afghan government nor the US military has taken any action? Moreover, if they were baseless again why is it that neither side has rejected them?

All of this points to the need for creation of a mechanism of cooperation between the host country and its guest military forces. There are many common objectives between the two sides and the cooperation benefits both governments and peoples. The failure, on the other hand, has serious repercussions that are never sought by any side. Afghanistan presently depends hugely on military, economic and diplomatic help of the United States. The US will suffer grave policy shortcomings if its Afghan venture fails. The peoples of Afghanistan and the United States need to be friends. The US needs to win over the hearts and minds of the Afghans. To do this it needs to restructure and rethink its policy in Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s friendship will benefit in the end the United States military, strategic, economic and diplomatic needs in this important region of the world. Establishment of general and specific joint commissions to oversee operations, exchange information and explain policies between the two governments seems to be one of the most effective means that would boost trust and ensure cooperation. There is a need for the formal launching of these commissions. They must follow a set schedule of meetings and deliberations. 4/19/06