Finally in Afghanistan we are starting to see a bit of cohesion: an actual plan, not imposed by NATO or the US, but brought in conjunction with Karzai's Afghan development and support. The New York Times reports that
American and Afghan officials intend to set up local militias of 100 to 200 fighters in each provincial district...militiamen will be given a brief period of training, along with weapons like assault rifles and grenade launchers...
What I've been saying about Afghanistan all this time included a call for greater tribal engagement. This doesn't mean we arm the people! Despite Petraeus being the genius of Iraq, or something similar depending what weeklies you read, a universal re-application of his Sunni Awakening media campaign tactic probably won't work in Afghanistan. Council members who we continue to pay in Iraq as local militia police forces are mostly in urban areas - Baghdad was where we needed the most help in Iraq. In Afghanistan, the border region is vast, sparsely populated, and without central organization. The tribes cannot and won't act in unison. They speak different languages and have wildly different social and religious customs, even within those who follow Islam and not animist religions. Militias will be forced to cover vast regions beyond their traditional tribal lands - not their small, local neighborhood.
For tribal engagement to work as a defense tactic against the Taliban we need to build roads, schools, and civic centers. Tribal groups obviously need to feel safe to help US forces in the fight against the Taliban, but this doesn't mean they should have to do it themselves. Embedded forces combined with greater development efforts is the way to stop the Taliban's second coming. Let's hope this is something the US and Afghans can figure out together.
(Photo by erwinlux)
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