Military Families Speak Out Issue 100: Earn Our Trust or Go

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Families Speak Out Issue 100's lead article is from Reuters on July 5, 2009: Earn Our Trust or Go. "I do not trust you..." said the mullah who outlined the failures of international forces to bring the help his townspeople need or leave them alone, vowing to leave or to fight. It was a message from Afghan Villagers to US Marines deployed as part of Operation Strike the Sword.

Also: "They all just asked us to leave."

In Afghanistan Surge, Soldiers Negotiate Complex Web Of Local Loyalties
(Christian Science Monitor, csmonitor.com, July 7, 2009)
As thousands of U.S. troops pour into Afghanistan this summer and push into uncharted territories, an environment of mistrust among local villagers is one of the many challenges they face in attempting to secure the country. When the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division penetrated the insurgent-ridden Tangi Valley in the heart of Wardak province, they braved rockets and roadside bombs. They succeeded in erecting a small outpost, and then set about their main task: winning over the locals. They called a shura, or council, with the local elders, to introduce themselves and take requests from the villagers.
"But to be honest, they didn't want us here," recalls 1st Lt. Christopher Wallgren, who commands the company of soldiers stationed in the Tangi, in eastern Afghanistan . "They all just asked us to leave. They didn't want us to interfere with their lives."

Peace,

Anna Berlinrut
MFSO Essex County, NJ Chapter

URL: http://njpon.org/uploads/resources/1247121954.pdf

Tags: Afghanistan/Pakistan new jersey/njpon.org Veterans & Military

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