It’s no longer “hearts and minds”, it’s “trust and confidence”. We always wondered when the Afghani’s were going to start trying to win our “trust and confidence”. The people over there don’t respect or fear us, as we try to win them over with kindness. It’s the Taliban they fear, and that’s why they help them or at least don’t help us. And hence, why we keep getting blown up with IEd’s in the middle of villages.
The ANA and ANP are no better than the Keystone Cops. Every time we would have them go out with us they’d have a negligent discharge. Besides the fact that the ANA are killing us,(see Gamberi this past spring) there is no way that they are even close to taking over security for themselves. They wouldn’t go out unless US forces were with them and would high tail it when the SHTF.
Fear will always trump kindness on a people conditioned under it as the Afghan people are....as long as the Taliban exists that is how it will be. Further they know well the troops will be leaving so their allegiance will remain at best neutral in order to survive whoever is in charge at any given moment.
Until the religious leaders and the Koran are silenced nothing the US does is going to change their way of life. War will always be the norm.
There is comfort in what is familiar even if it’s abusive and diabolic....the Afghan people will not be changed by any outside influence.