Taliban wages campaign of terror to reclaim town

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban have begun waging a campaign of intimidation in Marjah that some local Afghan leaders worry has jeopardized the success of a U.S.-led offensive meant as an early test of a revised military approach in Afghanistan.

The Taliban tactics have included at least one beheading in an effort to terrorize residents and undermine what military officials have said is the most important aim of the offensive: the attempt to establish a strong local government that can restore services.

The offensive ousted the Taliban from control of their last population center in southern Helmand province, but maintaining control over such territory has proved elusive in the past.

Though Marjah has an occupation force numbering more than one coalition soldier or police officer for every eight residents, Taliban agitators have waged an underground campaign of subversion, which residents say has intensified in the past two weeks.

"After dark the city is like the kingdom of the Taliban," said a tribal elder living in Marjah, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "The government and international forces cannot defend anyone even one kilometer from their bases."

The new governor of Marjah, Abdul Zahir, said the extremists were holding meetings in randomly selected homes roughly every other night, gathering residents and demanding that they turn over the names of anyone cooperating with authorities.

Zahir said the Taliban also regularly issued "night letters," posted at mosques or on utility poles, warning against such collaboration, and often intimidated residents into providing them with shelter and food in the city of 80,000.

"They are threatening and intimidating these people," he said in a telephone interview. "They threaten them with beheadings, cutting off hands and feet, all the things they did when they were the government."

More than 6,000 U.S. soldiers, Marines and British soldiers fought their way into Marjah beginning Feb. 13, with thousands of Afghan troops and police officers. Others have reinforced the occupation since to protect an influx of Afghan officials and Western experts trying to build an effective government in Marjah. That effort is at the heart of the U.S. and Afghan government strategy, and NATO officials have said it is proceeding well.

NATO and Marine Corps spokesmen did not respond to requests for comment on the situation in Marjah.