Taliban Support at All-Time High in Kandahar

[tekisui]

Source: CBC News

Public support for the Taliban hit an all-time high in Afghanistan's Kandahar province last spring just as the United States was preparing to deploy the first wave of military reinforcements, polling data compiled by the Canadian military suggests.

The data, obtained by The Canadian Press under access to information laws, provide a look at the disenchantment of ordinary Afghans, and perhaps illustrate the method behind the madness of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's recent anti-West rants.

The survey, conducted as part of the military's spring 2009 campaign assessment, illustrates just how much resistance there was even a year ago to the growing U.S. troop buildup in Kandahar.

"International economic assistance is heavily preferred over military assistance," the report said of Afghan public opinion.

A startling 25 per cent of those asked said they had a favourable view of the Taliban, including six per cent with a "very favourable" opinion.

The poll was conducted in most major provincial districts, but the military did not release details about the sample size or methodology. The army has been conducting regular surveys of the Afghan population since 2007.

A human rights group said the sentiments captured in the poll are still present today and cast doubt on whether Karzai will get unanimous public support in Kandahar for NATO's forthcoming offensive.

On Sunday, the president said the sweep would not proceed if locals didn't want it.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/04/06/taliban-support-poll.html?ref=rss#ixzz0kMdCn0S4

[maxsolomon]

1. the Taliban brought a semblance of order and justice there

where the warlords and central government brought anarchy. a brutal, oppressive, misogynistic order is at least order.