Afghans' Fear of Reprisal Stands in the Way of U.S. Strategy

Politics aside it's a horrible situation thier in. I realise we'd like to move progress forward and give their country a better future "build relations with the middle east" These people dont care about better roads or water systems they're worried about tomorrow... truly upsetting

Can't blame them for being afraid. Remember when we pulled out of Vietnam? All those people who believed in America and helped us out during the war were left behind to be rounded up and killed by the NV? Remember how the Cambodia situation turned out, when America turned its back on them? Remember how Bosnia turned out when America stood down? Who will be there if not us? Who will defend the helpless if not us? Who will stand for good and decentcy, if not us? Watch the chaos when we leave Iran. If you think Hussein was a killer, you haven't seen anything yet...

they better start doing something about the muslum terist we have here in this country befor they strike us again ,

I feel sorry for the ones that are in fear for their own lives and the elder's are scared more of the taliban then the younger one's cause they have seen so much more. The Talibans have got to be stopped, how can anyone kill children like they have and humans in general. I pray for not only our soldiers but for all of the afghan's and iraq's every single day.

Insensitivity,insanity, prejudice, lack of respet and tolerance is stripping America off of its values and ideals. Whatever happened to ONE NATION UNDER GOD?

Where are the "moderate" muslims?
Where are the rich Arab countries?
This is like Palestine where the Arabs look the other way and let the radicals rule and then blast the West for getting people killed.
The Muslims do nothing for themselves and have done nothing for themselves for centuries.
How can these murders of civilians and their leaders convince anyone that "Allah" says to murder children and poor/destitute civilians.
There will not be any "Virgins" waiting for these murders - only the hell promised the damend in the Koran.

Rather than a pull back, we should be pushing for more security in the area. Strength with charity will always conquer fear. It is a shame that we can not see this through.

I didn't understand why was Capitain Biggs there? How does he know that one of those sitting there was no a Taliban informant? I believe that meeting has put the lives of some in danger. I believe we should help the villagers to elect their own leaders and we should help them in whatever they need to build the village so the villagerscan live better and remember America any time they use the facility.Let evry member of the village to vote, Taliban or not Taliban. I don't believe the Capitain should remind them who build that facility. The Capitain should say we helped you to build that. To an Afghan it is a sorcasm to say we build it for you.

I've read some comments that we should not try to improve the world, that one hundred years ago women could not vote, children were used in labor. All true and thank God we changed. Somebody has to take the for front in all change the United States is still in the best position to do this. I always remember the admonishment that the United States has a horrible form of government except when we look at all the other governments of the world. If we as Americans don't push the world towards improvement who will?

This sounds alot like VietNam. It is absurd to expect these people to risk their lives working with the Americans, especially since we have announced we will soon be leaving. It is also naive to think that we can compromise or negotiate with the Taliban. We either need to get serious and wipe out the Taliban, or we should get out. We can't win "the hearts and minds " of the Afgan people when we can't protect them.