Despite Marines’ presence, fear of Taliban persists in Afghan town

Members of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment prepare to head out on patrol in the town of Delaram in southwestern Afghanistan's Nimruz province. A platoon of Marines has been posted in the town for the last two years alongside local police in an effort to bolster security, but tangible results have been slow in coming.


Despite Marines’ presence, fear of Taliban persists in Afghan town
By Drew Brown, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, November 14, 2009

DELARAM, Afghanistan — Marines have maintained a presence here for two years, but they say residents’ fear of the Taliban continues to underlie every facet of life.

This hardscrabble town in southwestern Afghanistan is relatively stable compared with other regions where rebel fighters are battling international troops. Only a few suicide attacks and fatal shootings of U.S. Marines and Afghan police have occurred here in the last two years.

But U.S. troops and the civilian specialists who recently joined them seem to have hit a wall in trying to build trust with the local residents and promote some sort of civilized society.

Their goal has been to create a model of change for one of southern Afghanistan’s most impoverished and lawless regions. But intimidation by the militants is complicating efforts to improve security, foster local governance and launch developmental aid projects.

“I think really want to help us, most of them,” said 2nd Lt. Troy Gent, 31, of Cedar City, Utah, who commands a platoon from Company I, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, which is posted alongside Afghan police in Delaram. “But since there’s still that Taliban influence here, they’re still afraid.”


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=66096