The Durrani tribal federation of Pushtuns has been dominant since the 1700s, well before the British arrived. President Hamid Karzai is from the Popolzai clan of Durrani, whose two other main clans are the Barakzai and Alikojai. These three groups were favored for leadership by NATO after the Taliban were routed. Naturally, all the non-Durranis have resented the situation and the Western sponsors ever since; thus providing a convenient and ready supply of dissident fighters, with and without Taliban connections.

Just responding to your comment about soldiers/role models/lopping off potential.

I sincerely apologize for any lamps, knick-knacks, assorted crockery, or other collectible items damaged or destroyed by my flailing.

P.S. I know that 50% of soldiers aren’t female, Blue. You’re flailing.

There is a time and a place for teaching moments, and you must choose your subjects carefully. You must also establish the enabling learning objectives that open the door to learing those other points.

That time was not the time, nor was it the place. What happened was that a squad leader and his female soldiers were so self-centered that they forgot that other people may not share their advanced sensibilities. My point to the female and the squad leader is this:

“It’s not about YOU. It’s about THEM.”

Time and patience. As Canoneer pointed out, they have more fish to fry. Do not try to teach a man gender equality before you get him to stop buggering the livestock.

Ash, I agree that the military is doing some things that we are not necessarily the best suited for; but we get shot at sometimes and they send very few people downrange who are not soldiers to be shot at. It happens, but it is a tiny number.

Oh, NahnCee… to vote for a candidate simply to piss off Afghan peasants isn’t what I would call the best decision-making process, but hey; it’s your vote.

The governor of Bamyan Province, Afghanistan, is a woman. In one of the more remote areas of Afghanistan, one of the Provincial Council members with a fair amount of clout was a woman. In Kapisa Province, one of the international community representatives was a Polish female. She did not wear a burqa, but she covered her head (not her face) with a scarf in the manner of Muslim women to respect their culture.

Wand an American. Find that the knife in his pocket sets off the wand. Let them understand that wanding everyone is for their own protection too. No one wants someone with a bomb to come into a meeting with them. These guys may be ignorant but that doesn’t mean they’re stupid. They can learn.

The woman doing the wanding is a secondary issue.

I gotta say that many Muslims seem like cats getting their temperature taken at the vet’s office. They don’t understand what’s going on and they know that they don’t like it. Their reaction is often violent. Every Muslim pronouncement seems to contain the terms humiliation and revenge.

Yes, it will be a while before Afghanistan comes into the modern world. Time to start moving is now.

Compare and contrast 9/11 to the Minnesota Massacre.

Is Mullah Omar anything like Red Cloud? Might a Crow have similar opinions about Lakota domination as Tajiks had about Pashtun Taliban domination?

And how much like The Medicine Line is the Durand Line?

Will some 21st-Century General Crook go across the line and talk Baitullah Mehsud in to coming in?

The Taliban is 90% Pashtun. Pashtun culture is under stress comparable to the small pox, the extinction of the buffalo, and disasterous wars. They can assimulate or they can stay on the Rez but the old ways are dying fast.