Afghan opinion

Paper on the perceptions of Afghans of US and NATO troops in Kandahar. Locals don't trust the troops. Excerpts:

In informal discussions with villagers and residents
of Kandahar city and surrounding districts it was evident that locals don’t really understand
the purpose of this so called ‘surge’. Most believe it will end like previous operations in the
south, in failure, bringing only more grief and sorrow to their homes and villages. Indeed,
many Kandaharis have come to believe that coalition military operations result only in the
death, injury, arrest and dishonouring of innocent Afghan civilians who have nothing to do
with the Taliban.
This said, nor do Kandaharis want the coalition to leave. They see a role for coalition military
forces in the province, albeit one that focuses less on active military operations and more on
stabilisation and peace-building ones.

If there is, however, one overriding reason why locals have little confidence in US-led
operations in Kandahar it is the continued failure of American and coalition forces to
understand local context and dynamics and the impact of their stalled operations on the local
population.