Word: talibans
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...understand what's going on. It's like knowing what is going on in your neighborhood. Not just the traffic on the road, but how money is made, who is running rule of law, who do they go to when they have dispute adjudication - do they go to a Taliban shadow court, a government of Afghanistan official entity? So you try to look at a whole range of things. There are some overt indicators, close of traffic, commerce, people's ability to interact. Then there are many more that are subtle - you have to get at the attitudes...
...would you define success? What we are trying to do is change the dynamics in the area where we are operating. The current operations that you are hearing about in the Helmand River valley are aimed at areas that are major population centers. They were also areas under Taliban control. They are also a nexus of the poppy trade. So if you describe the Helmand River valley as the breadbasket of the poppy trade and where the Taliban gets a lot of resources and support, what we are trying to do is take the area away from...
...destroy buildings, homes, you may take the ground, but the population is left impoverished - they may have suffered casualties among their civilians - and then to turn and ask for their support, it will be different. So what we really want is the equivalent of a peaceful takeover, where the Taliban are forced...
...such a public message on the use of arms? Why shouldn't I? I want the Afghan people to know what we are about. I am not scared about the Taliban knowing that we are going to go protect the population, because at the end of the day, they can't stop us. They can resist that, but they can't stop us from doing that. So I think everyone knowing that that is our intent reinforces with the Afghan populace that obviously we are on their side. But it also reinforces in our force that that is the important...
...tells people, If you side with the government, this is what will happen to you.' TALAT MASOOD, a retired Pakistani general, on the assassination of Qari Zainuddin, a tribal leader and outspoken critic of Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud...