Poll. Afghanistan Transition And The Death Of Osama bin Laden

The 9/11 terror attacks planned by Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda led to the unprecedented international mission in Afghanistan. In the wake of the attacks, the Taliban continued to insist on giving safe haven to Bin Laden and his terrorist organization; they were defeated militarily, setting the stage for a long and arduous recovery.

How do Afghans feel in the wake of the death of Bin Laden? A new poll, Afghanistan Transition. The Death of Bin Laden and Local Dynamics has a complicated story to tell. Some highlights:

The US troop surge has brought unquestionable military success, with many Afghans interviewed now believing that international and Afghan forces are winning the fight against the Taliban. However, these military successes have also created “Blowback”, which is negatively impacting Afghan hearts and minds in the south.

The international coalition has not effectively communicated to the Afghan people the reasons for its presence in Afghanistan. There is a generalised belief among interviewees that the international community does not protect, and does not respect, the Afghan people or their culture and religion. Support is lacking on these indicators from respondents across the country, even in the more stable northern provinces. This has been compounded by a wave of recent negative news stories.

The negative impacts of the military operations revealed by the interviews, and the general backdrop of news in the south, give the Taliban an opportunity to “Pushback” and gain ground by capitalising on the increasing resentment of the foreign presence within the local population , which is emotionally volatile, traumatised, isolated, and easily manipulated by outside actors.

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