AFGHANISTAN. Mian Poshteh, Helmand. 2009. A Marine with a village elder from Mian Poshteh, a rural village in southern Helmand Province.
The Marines were trying to build the Afghan Army. There were 240 Americans in the outpost, but
only a few dozen Afghan soldiers. The local language was Pashto, but only a few of the Afghan
soldiers spoke it; they were from other parts of the country. Relations with the local elders
were tense. The Afghan soldiers were often accused of stealing when doing house searches
in the village. Although Mian Poshteh was only one kilometer from the base, the Marines and
Afghan Army were often attacked nearby. The Marines asked the elders if they would vote in
the upcoming elections. “The Taliban will chop off our fingers,” was the reply (the index finger
is stained purple after voting to make sure there are no repeats). The Marines asked why they
wouldn’t reveal the location of the Taliban. The elders replied, “You go back to your base at
night, while the Taliban are all around us. If we cooperate, they will kill us.” They went on to say
that there was no fighting before the Marines came, and that they should just go away.