Afghanistan: Inside the Battle for Hearts and Minds

Local Population
Another proposal, to pay locals for working on a canal reclamation project, foundered when village elders explained that the workers could not be seen taking money from the Americans. Ellis was mystified by this. The Taliban were going to know where the money was coming from, he reasoned, no matter who put it in the workers' hands. Eventually, he learned that several of the town elders had driven to Pakistan, to clear the project with the Taliban leadership there. They had given their consent, in exchange for 50% of the workers' pay.

• Afghanistan: A Tale of Soldiers and a School