In Marja, A Psychological Struggle Remains

While a two-week long offensive in the Taliban stronghold of Marja can be chalked up to a military victory for U.S. and Afghan forces, there are still pressing concerns facing the next stage of the operation, including the struggle to psychologically win over the Southern Afghan city’s population.

“We’ve got a very skeptical population,” Brigadier General Larry Nicholson, who commands U.S. forces in the region, told reporters Thursday. “I think we have a very narrow window here in Marja to make that first impression. You get one shot at it.”

Nicholson explained that the locals have been deeply disappointed with the Afghan government in current years, and as a result, embraced the Taliban.

According to the Commander, the U.S. is pursuing a number of steps to establish trust, including working with local religious leaders, supervising the formation of the region’s police force and creating jobs.

“I want to hire more than a thousand [Afghans] very, very quickly,” said Nicholson. “I think a lot of the people we hire may have been Taliban at one time.”

To maintain stability, thousands of Marines and Afghan forces will remain in Marja until at least this summer.