SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2010
KLMNO
EZ SU
A9 THE LONGEST WAR
office. Many people here said they arewilling
to put some faith in their local govern- ment because they believe it is not simply an extension of the corrupt order in Ka- bul. “The central government does not help us,” saidmotorcycle salesman Juma Gul. “The only one who does is Governor Mangal.” Mangal’s popularity has rubbed off on
Manaf, who has thus farmanaged to run the district without favoring one tribe or clan, as somany other local leaders do in
Afghanistan.Manaf’s strategyhasbeento ingratiate himself with theMarines, per- suade them to pour millions of dollars into the district for reconstruction proj- ects andthentell thepopulationthathe is bringingthemmuch-neededjobsandser-
vices.TheMarines havenot objected. “He’s an effective leader who is doing
what any politician would,” said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Holt, the commander of the Ma- rine battalionhere. Manaf has been aided by Nawa’s rela-
tively stable tribal dynamics. Themajori- ty Barakzai get along with the smaller tribes in the area. All of them are repre- sentedona45-member community coun- cil, and the elders have been generally willing to work withManaf to spread the spoils ofdevelopmentprojects inanequi- tableway. BecausecentralNawais soquiet, repre-
ministries, including education, health and agriculture, have arrived in the dis- trict — a feat that has occurred in few other districts in southern Afghanistan. TheMarines have set up trailers for them toliveandworkin,althoughtheystill lack budgets.Aprogramtoprovidethemmon- ey for projects, which is funded by the British government, has not been imple- mented here because of delays by the central government, despite promises from officials in Kabul last year that it would startwithinmonths. “WekeepwaitingforwordfromKabul,”
Manaf said. For theMarinesandinternationalcivil-
ian reconstruction advisers, perhaps the biggest worry about the government in Nawa isManaf’s health.Hewas hospital- izedearlier thisyearbecauseofhighblood pressure and other issues, but he is doing little to remedy his condition. He still consumes twomealsadayof friedchicken enrobedinaninch-thick layer ofpalmoil. He has refused theMarines’ entreaties to exercise on a new concrete track that circles the helicopter pad at the base next to his office. And he frequentlymixes the
on
washingtonpost.com More images from Nawa
sentatives from several key government ISee how Marines and Afghans are coexisting in southern Afghanistan, where markets and schools are bustling as civilians resume everyday activities.
medicines he receives fromaNavy corps- manwith pills his aide buys at the bazaar. “We’re one heart attack away from a
really big problem,” said one of the advis- ers.
Buying goodwill Good government and stable tribal re-
lations are only part of the story of why Nawa is so quiet. A multimillion-dollar U.S.-funded economic stimulus that has wonovermuch of the population. In the past year, the Marines and the
U.S. Agency for International Develop- menthavespentmorethan$20millionin this district. Themoney has been used to hiremore than16,000menfor short-term manual labor projects, provide farmers withseedsandfertilizer,equipagricultur- al cooperatives with new tractors and transformrutteddirt roads intosmoother gravel ones so farmers can take their goods to market. Over the next year, the military plans to invest $22millionmore to rebuild the road connecting Nawa to Helmand’s capital.
The financial assistance has had a
direct impact onsecurity:Because seem- ingly everyone who wants a job has one, many young men have opted to stop working for the Taliban. The cash infu- sion has also led to increased economic activity in the bazaar. Many residents now have enough disposable income to buymotorcycles andmobile phones. But there are signs of a growing depen-
dency on the largess of the Americans. When Manaf wants something, he asks theMarines, evenwhenit is something as trivial as a newfabric awning for stalls in themarket. Although awnings are some- thing that Afghans have fashioned for centuriesoutof straw, theMarinesagreed to pay, as they do with many of his re- quests, because they want the people to appreciateManaf, and in turn, theywant Manaf to appreciate theAmericans. “We need thismoney because the gov-
ernment inKabul doesn’t do anything for us,”Manaf said. “The peoplehere support me andGovernorMangal.We shouldgive themsomething inreturn.” There is broad concern here about
what will happen when USAID’s large agriculture program, which has been the principal source of subsidized seeds and day-labor jobs, ends in the
spring.USAID officials hoped that the program would allowfarmers to employ additionalwork- ers on their own, but it does not appear much newemployment has been created,
certainlynowherenearenoughtoaddress theneeds here. AseniorUSAIDofficial said the agency
is readying amassive vocational-training effort tohelp residents ofNawa and other parts of southern Afghanistan find work or start businesses. Manaf said he is “very worried” about
the end of the agriculture handouts. “If the Americans end their cash-for-work programs, people will go back to fighting for theTaliban,” he said. Heis similarlyconcernedaboutMarine
plans to reduce their presence in the populated parts of the district and pull back to bases in the desert. Although the transitionwouldgivehimmoreauthority, he remains doubtful thatAfghan security forces will be able to prevent a Taliban resurgence. “Wewant to be like JapanorGermany,”
hesaid. “TheAmericans shouldkeeptheir bases here to protect us.” As he proudly showed off framed pho-
tographs onhis officewall ofhimselfwith Marine officers,Manaf said he recognizes that his district has turned into a show- piece for the counterinsurgency strategy, and that means pressure to show it can survive with fewer U.S. troops. But he warned against pushing it too quickly. “If youmove too fast here, the Taliban
will return — for sure,” he said. “Then what have you proven?”
chandrasek@washpost.com
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