U.S. strikes deal with Afghan tribe
Agreement could put an end to Taliban attacks on troops
KABUL, Afghanistan – The top U.S. Marine commander in southern Afghanistan said Monday that an influential Afghan tribe had agreed to put a stop to Taliban attacks in a highly contested part of Helmand province sometimes called “Afghanistan’s Fallujah.”
The agreement, if it holds, could provide a much-needed respite for American Marines, who have faced surprisingly effective resistance since they took control of Helmand’s Sangin district from British forces in September.
U.S. military officials said they were cautiously optimistic about the deal, which a Taliban spokesman derided as American propaganda intended to demoralize insurgent fighters in Helmand.
In the past, such accords have proved to be fleeting. In late 2006, British forces agreed to a Taliban cease-fire in another volatile part of Helmand province; the Taliban retook it four months later.
U.S. military officials said they were taking a “wait-and-see” approach to the Sangin agreement.
In recent weeks, Sangin has been the scene of some of the most deadly fighting in Afghanistan.
During one week last fall, the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, from Camp Pendleton, Calif. – the same “Dark Horse” battalion that took part in the second Fallujah offensive in 2004 – lost 10 men in Sangin.
Amid the intense fighting, more than three dozen tribal elders from one corner of Sangin made a tantalizing offer to help halt insurgent attacks and drive out foreign fighters, Afghan and American officials said.
As a confidence-building measure requested by the elders, Helmand officials said, they released a local religious leader whom they’d held for a month.
That gesture over the weekend helped pave the way for the tribal leaders to cement their pledges during a jirga, a tribal gathering, Afghan officials said.
Under the agreement, the tribal leaders vowed to expel foreign fighters, allow Afghan and U.S. forces to patrol the area, contain Taliban attacks and help identify deadly roadside bombs, which have taken a heavy toll on U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
In exchange, American and Afghan leaders are supposed to pump more money into the area.
“We are cautiously optimistic of this agreement and will monitor whether it leads to reduced insurgent influence,” said U.S. Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Mills, the commander of coalition forces in southwestern Afghanistan.
The deal applies only to Sarwan Qala, a troublesome Taliban haven with about 30 villages in Sangin district that’s dominated by members of the Alokozai tribe.