Quality | 2009.11.16
A hope in Helmand | Theo Farrell
-Local governance is reestablished, schools rebuilt: Garmsir\'s success shows the way forward
The news from Afghanistan has been grim. The collapse of the second round of the national elections; Hamid Karzai \'s government tainted by corruption; and, last week, five British soldiers killed by a rogue Afghan policeman in Nad-e\'Ali . All the while, Washington continues to dither over its strategy. Small wonder that the British public have lost faith in this war: 57% now think it unwinnable .
However, on the ground in Afghanistan things look a little more optimistic. I have just spent two weeks in Helmand, talking to dozens of civilian stabilisation advisers and military officers. Predictably, everybody complains about the shortage of helicopters (with good reason). But local governance has been reestablished this past year in the key district centres of Garmsir, Gereshk and Nad-e\'Ali. And though the formal justice system has been slow to take root because of the difficulties of putting judges and prosecutors in district centres, in its place an informal justice system has developed supported by international advisers.
In all districts, schools and health clinics are being built or refurbished. And even in the area of counter-narcotics, there are some encouraging signs. Poppy cultivation is down 37% this year in Helmand. A significant increase in poppy cultivation in neighbouring Kandahar suggests that this reduction is not simply due to market forces. In Helmand, a wheat seed distribution programme (which encourages farmers to grow wheat instead of poppy)is covering more farmers. Often the best solutions in Afghanistan are local ones.
Notwithstanding the tragic events in Nad-e\'Ali, the Afghan security forces are getting better, as is the partnership between Afghans and the International Security Assistance Force . I saw this most visibly in Garmsir, where I spent some time with the US marines. Garmsir district centre has tarmac roads, solar streetlights and a thriving bazaar. US-run Radio Garmsir pumps out popular programming courtsey of its two local DJs; it also receives over 1,000 letters a month from listeners. Most striking of all, the marines trust Afghan police and soldiers to secure the district centre. Garmsir feels very much like a society that is shaking off the shackles of war.
So what accounts for this success? First, an offensive by the marines in collaboration with the Afghan armyover September and October, that pushed the Taliban lines far south of Snakeshead (the main population and agricultural area, extending far beyond the district centre). This created the perception of security that underpins local support for the government. It also gave locals the confidence to send their children to school, to trade in the bazaar and return to normal life. The US marines\' campaign in Garmsir has built on foundations laid by British military operations and stabilisation efforts. But the British lacked the forces to hold captured territory. The marines have created outposts and stayed. Such commitment is crucial to Afghan confidence.
Second, security operations are a true partnership between the marines and the Afghan security forces. I observed the marine commander signing up to an Afghan security plan for the elections, and deferring to a shura of local leaders in deciding the fate of eight men the marines hadapprehended planting a roadside bomb. Finally, contrary to stereotype, the marines have been more concerned about making peace than making war. To be sure, the campaign in Garmsir has involved a lot of hard fighting by marines (and the British army before them). But as Lt Col Cabaniss put it, the main effort for his battalion has focused on expanding the "hope bubble" and "restarting civilian society".
The events in Nad-e-Ali are unquestionably a setback. But they will have little impact on the success stories like Garmsir. Garmsir highlights the importance of nurturing effective local government, and of boots on the ground. Most of all, Garmsir underlines the importance of partnership between international and Afghan security forces. Garmsir enjoys an advantage here in that the local army, police and national security chiefs are all professional and work well together. As Nad-e-Ali suggests, police quality, especially of the lower ranks, is a key priority. There is a new police academy opening in the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, to provide basic and specialist training to police throughout Helmand.
There is much to be done in Helmand, especially in towns such as Sangin and Musa Qala, where the Taliban still threaten security. But on the ground, one can begin to see the green shoots of progress and, in Garmsir, the conditions of stability and Britain\'s eventual withdrawal.
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/[...]afghanistan-helmand-us-marines
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