U.S. Marines conduct a security patrol in the abandoned village of Now Zad in Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 6, 2009. The Marines are assigned to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, which is attached to Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. James A. BurksU.S. Takes Afghan Strategy to Villages -- The Wall Street Journal
MAYDEN SHAHR, Afghanistan -- The deepening U.S. involvement in the Afghan war is forcing villagers to answer a dangerous question: Whose side are you on?
The Afghan government and U.S. military have kicked off an ambitious project to build local opposition to the Taliban, reminiscent of a successful American effort to win over Sunnis in Iraq's once-turbulent Anbar province. For the elders of the village of Zayawalat, a safe haven for insurgents conducting attacks into Kabul, it's time to make the call on whether to join. So far, they have balked.
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