Struggle for Villages and Towns Around Kandahar

The importance of the fight in and around Kandahar cannot be over-emphasized.  However, the fight for Kandahar is not control of the skies, limiting IED attacks (as important as that is), or setting up checkpoints.  The real struggle is for the support of the Afghan population for the district, provincial, and central government - and the Afghan Security Forces (ASF).  The fight for Kandahar is currently being waged in the villages and towns outside of the city where in most cases the coalition and Afghan forces control the terrain during the day and the Taliban control the terrain at night with night letters, intimidation, and assassinations.  Read more about the fight in the towns and villages in "Afghanistan's three parallel wars", The Observer, November 14, 2010.