Leaked Afghanistan war logs reveal villagers' unenthusiastic responses to US army attempts to build bridges
Winning hearts and minds in Afghanistan can be uphill work, as US soldiers attached to Task Force Catamount discovered when they visited the remote village of Mamadi in Paktika province, near the Pakistan border.
"It seems to always be this way when we go there. No one wants anything to do with us," the mission report's author complained sadly. Nor does the Mamadi patrol's experience appear to be untypical.
The report, circulated by US military intelligence in April 2007, is one of numerous accounts of attempted bridge-building contained in the classified war logs and examined by the Guardian. The material offers an unprecedented insight into the gaping cultural and societal gulfs encountered by US troops trying to win grassroots support for the west's vision of a peaceful, developing, united Afghanistan.
The purpose of the Mamadi visit, reassuringly termed a "non-combat event", was to meet local leaders and distribute food and other assistance. But things started badly when a Humvee broke down, the road turned muddy and the weather deteriorated. To be safe, half the patrol of 29 US servicemen plus Afghan army personnel stayed with the Humvee. The rest went on to Mamadi.
Their reception there is distinctly unenthusiastic. The children mostly stay indoors. The village elder is described as "a very disgruntled man" who does not want American handouts. "He personally blamed George Bush for his AK-47 being taken from him. He doesn't want us to give stuff to his village because of fear from the enemy punishing him. He did say he would take the money, though," the report said.
A talk with a 30-year-old male villager with black hair and "skinny" build is similarly uninspiring. "Not very outgoing, [he] sits on the edge of the conversation and just listens to what is going on". It transpires that the man's silence may be connected to his prior detention for "involvement with IEDs". He was sacked by the Afghan army for the same offence.
After a curtailed stay, the patrol hands out 30 sweaters, 30 backpacks, 10 bags of beans and 10 bags of rice then departs. Back at base, the anonymous author reaches a surprising conclusion: "The mission in Mamadi was success." But this seems to be largely because they fixed the Humvee. "The village of Mamadi is definitely anti-coalition. They want nothing to do with US or ANA [Afghan national army] forces. Nothing further to report".
Soldiers from Task Force Diablo were dispatched a month earlier to "provide relief to citizens [of Kharwar district in eastern Logar province] affected by winter weather and build trust between the ANP [Afghan national police] and government and the local populace". They also came away discouraged, according to a war logs report. "As we walked through the bazaar, there were no shop doors open and few people peeked out from behind windows or curtains … The impression was of walking into a trap/ambush … There were several dead dogs inside the ANP compound and throughout the town. Also, there was human faeces everywhere without regard for foot traffic or modesty. Several of the bunkers and trenches had obviously been used as latrines," the report said.
The Guardian
