The Petraeus strategy up close

摘要

Lame, toothless and 80 years old, Haji Beardad is not exactly imposing. Yet the American soldiers in the northern Arghan-dab valley in Kandahar province court him assiduously, promising a school and a mosque for his village of Kuhak. For Haji Beardad, frail as he looks, is an important ally. Since he told the Americans that his people would co-operate with Afghan security forces and keep watch for outsiders, attacks in Kuhak have dropped sharply.