--- title: In Afghanistan, Civilians Help Soldiers in Counterinsurgency | TIME description: In a counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan, the U.S. State Department sends civilian experts to help Afghans build better government while the military takes on the Taliban. canonical: https://time.com/video/PV5DkYSR/ og:title: In Afghanistan, Civilians Help Soldiers in Counterinsurgency og:description: In a counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan, the U.S. State Department sends civilian experts to help Afghans build better government while the military takes on the Taliban. og:url: https://time.com/video/PV5DkYSR/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PV5DkYSR/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: In Afghanistan, Civilians Help Soldiers in Counterinsurgency twitter:description: In a counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan, the U.S. State Department sends civilian experts to help Afghans build better government while the military takes on the Taliban. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PV5DkYSR/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # In Afghanistan, Civilians Help Soldiers in Counterinsurgency > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: In Afghanistan, Civilians Help Soldiers in Counterinsurgency [Watch (HLS stream): In Afghanistan, Civilians Help Soldiers in Counterinsurgency](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PV5DkYSR.m3u8) (6:15)  _Published 2010-10-21. In a counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan, the U.S. State Department sends civilian experts to help Afghans build better government while the military takes on the Taliban._ --- Jul 27, 2023 3:06 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [U.S. Military Aircraft Crashes in Taliban-Held Eastern Afghanistan](/video/VZ3tHzQx/) ### U.S. Military Aircraft Crashes in Taliban-Held Eastern Afghanistan [U.N. Spokesperson Says More Than 100 Civilians Killed In fighting Between Afghan forces and The Taliban](/video/YE9xkvPw/) ### U.N. Spokesperson Says More Than 100 Civilians Killed In fighting Between Afghan forces and The Taliban [Command Post: Is Counter-Insurgency Dead?](/video/YZpZWXFz/) ### Command Post: Is Counter-Insurgency Dead? --- ## Transcript >> No, no! Let them come. Let them come! Come on. Come on. >> In modern warfare, there is a lot of talk about counter insurgency strategy. And sometimes, that strategy looks as simple as this. In Khas Kunar, just a few miles away from the Pakistan Border in Afghanistan, Julius Johnson teaches English to displaced children. >> It's a different footprint in the villages when you come with winning hearts and minds as a goal. >> Hearts and minds. You hear a lot about that here in Afghanistan. And working with these kids helps Johnson understand what Afghan communities need. He is a state department official, working with American and NATO soldiers to help local Afghans stand up on their own and stand against the Taliban. It is an effort that is spreading across the country. An initiative called the Civilian Military Campaign Plan. Johnson, who is Muslim, has an advantage when he reaches out to locals. >> I go to a different Mosque every Friday, in a different village. I speak to all of the believers that attend Jumuh'ah prayer. The Afghans are in the mosque five times a day, so the degree to which we can support balanced perspectives, that is the degree to which we are going to be able to ensure stability and moderation. >> Johnson knows that stability and moderation will only come when Afghanistan has a government that is free of corruption and serves its people. To tackle the corruption problem, civilians and soldiers combined forces here at Brigade Headquarters at Jalalabad. They weed out corrupt local contractors using the carrot and the stick. >> you tell them no Ted. That is the great thing about our money. >> you can just say no, you can't do it. >> State Department Representative, Dante Paradiso, oversees 40 civilians in Eastern Afghanistan. His military partner is Brigade Commander, Colonel Randy George. >> We did everything together. If the Colonel was out going around to different bases, checking on the troopers, or meeting local officials, I was there with him all the time. >> Colonel George's command spans four provinces, so he and Paradiso cover a lot of territory. At Camp Blessing in Kunar province, Paradiso gets an update from government specialist, Will Hall. >> I mean the reality of the situation is we have to focus on Chapa Dara first, and then look at Wama-- >> That is the Brigade's-- >> Paradiso, Hall, and Major Dedrick, a civil affairs soldier, has shelved building a new road for the community. >> What we are gonna do is build a section road, if politically and socially stable, and that peace does come together, then you build the next section road. >> Paradiso says it's essential that local afghans run their own government. A big first step is making sure community leaders understand the legal system. >> You provide the rule of law, and you provide justice. >> In Duray, Abraham Sutherland organizes a meeting for the village elders at the government district center, a drab, but functional brick and water complex surrounded by 10 foot walls. He's brought a local law expert to explain the constitution. >> These are local district leaders who really have a lot of responsibility, especially out in the districts for law and order. The key problem we've got here is not just the insurgent forces, but ineffective and corrupt government. And when you take this message directly to the people, it raises their expectations. So at events like these, people will say, Hey! These laws are beautiful. It is all laid out. How come they are not enforced? >> Since this meeting was filmed, the Afghan law expert was killed in the crossfire during an attack by anti- government forces. Enemy insurgents don't differentiate between civilian and soldier. So life in the ground here is risky for both. Roadside bombs, gunfire and shoulder- mounted rockets are a daily threat. >> Are they coming? >> No, that's outgoing. That is outgoing. It just hit. >> That is hard. That is hard to get used to. This is the hardest job I have ever had in my life. It is very lonely. The military culture is very close- knit, and it is hard to penetrate that nest. It is not unusual to be awakened by an incoming round and have to run into a bunker. Electricity goes on and off. There is no hot water in the showers. Refrigeration is sporadic. It's rough! Having said that, at night I have never seen a clearer sky with brighter stars. You are surrounded by mountains in a valley that are huge and gorgeous and incredible. They humble you. The Afghan people are extraordinary. They have got a great sense of humor. They are warm. They make life bearable. >> Both President Obama and Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton have said the war won't be won by military efforts alone. >> Share this with your sister. Your sister. >> A year into the initiative, the State Department has nearly 1100 civilians on the ground, with an additional 15 to 20 percent expected by the end of the year. But support at home for the war is waning. Mr. Obama has set a deadline of next summer to reevaluate U. S. troop levels in Afghanistan. By then, these civilians and soldiers hope for will be significant progress, enough to show both Americans and Afghans that the strategy is working. >> If you have local government functioning. You have got the people on your side. Then you have the best chance of actually winning the counter- insurgency. >> Its an intimate effort now. Right? Very intimate. Together. And it's not a law. Next step is at the broader level, but for right now, we have got this-- we are incubating this project. It's like a baby. -[ Foreign Language ] >> For Time video, Bill Thomas, Kunar Province, Afghanistan. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"In Afghanistan, Civilians Help Soldiers in Counterinsurgency","description":"In a counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan, the U.S. State Department sends civilian experts to help Afghans build better government while the military takes on the Taliban.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PV5DkYSR/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2010-10-21T13:58:56.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PV5DkYSR.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/video/PV5DkYSR/","duration":"PT6M15S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/video/PV5DkYSR/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}} ```