One of Barakzai's posts.
"Of the country’s 34 provinces, Paktika has been the fourth-deadliest for coalition soldiers in the nearly decade-long conflict. The tribal system remains strong here, as does support for the militants.
In an Army survey in February, more than two-thirds of Paktika residents said they sympathized with the Taliban. Many others, like Mr. Khan, a leather-skinned farmer with a henna-dyed orange beard, simply feel helpless to resist them."
The Flat Earthy Society members here will defy reality once again and claim that somehow, the Paktika polling is wrong because the voters felt intimidated. Yet, when polling data supports their viewpoint in other areas of the country they are primed to advertise those results to the world, like a giddy 16 year old girl at her birthday party.
Note the NYTime reliance on a village elder asking for arms. Interestingly enough the rest of the article lays out how the various Paktika tribes utilize American firepower to destroy eachother's gains.
The bottom line is that the Army Survey provides objective data that they cannot provide a counter to that indicates the locals support, in the majority, the Afghan insurgents. How the Flat Earth Society Members here will tie the ISI into this one should be interesting to observe.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/wo...er=rss&emc=rss
"Of the country’s 34 provinces, Paktika has been the fourth-deadliest for coalition soldiers in the nearly decade-long conflict. The tribal system remains strong here, as does support for the militants.
In an Army survey in February, more than two-thirds of Paktika residents said they sympathized with the Taliban. Many others, like Mr. Khan, a leather-skinned farmer with a henna-dyed orange beard, simply feel helpless to resist them."
The Flat Earthy Society members here will defy reality once again and claim that somehow, the Paktika polling is wrong because the voters felt intimidated. Yet, when polling data supports their viewpoint in other areas of the country they are primed to advertise those results to the world, like a giddy 16 year old girl at her birthday party.
Note the NYTime reliance on a village elder asking for arms. Interestingly enough the rest of the article lays out how the various Paktika tribes utilize American firepower to destroy eachother's gains.
The bottom line is that the Army Survey provides objective data that they cannot provide a counter to that indicates the locals support, in the majority, the Afghan insurgents. How the Flat Earth Society Members here will tie the ISI into this one should be interesting to observe.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/wo...er=rss&emc=rss

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