Afghan Valley Offers Test for Obama Strategy

With the driving out of Taliban forces from Afghan valley territory of Jalrez Bazaar by US forces and the Taliban's subsequent flight from the territory offers a newfound freedom of transport and trade for Afghani merchants that was not present before. The results from the valley's freedom indicate positive results from the Obama administration's policy of increased troop presence in Afghanistan, and the valley serves as a test case for how this adjustment of forces will affect the region. While the early results look good, it is still no indication of how successful the plan will be as a whole. In the face of a complex social and political array of tribes and ethnicities, the US must not only pacify the insurgent effort, but it must turn the populace away from it through the establishment of a new, effect state force, including police, education, and economic opportunity. As an American officer puts it, "It's construction, not reconstruction." Part of the problem includes the concern that the insurgents have fled the area only to return some time later, thus nullifying much of the pacification effort. This is not without validity, as the Taliban has taken advantage of the thinly-spread American troop presence to lure them away form critical areas only to strike once they have left. In addition, there is the worry of low-level criminals focused more on profit than on principal-based motivation. US defense hopes that both of these problems can be resolved via mass-increase of troop presence due to population as well as tempting potential "money" insurgents away from crime with money/job opportunities. While still dissatisfied with the foreign troop presence, most Afghanis are tolerant of the US troop presence so long as they provide the necessary security and humanitarian effort to get the people back on their feet. Regardless, cultural strife along with continued isolated attacks fray relations between the two sides, and the reconstruction effort still has a considerable way to go. While the early positives are comforting to see, will the increased US presence finally start to give the Afghanis the prosperous and, most importantly, safe life they need to turn the situation around? Time will tell.