NYT reports truth: Afghans getting fed up

Following the wreck of the US special forces helicopter in eastern mountain Afghanistan, and statements by the Taliban that it is responsible for the crash, the US media woke up to the growing quagmire there. Not since Laura Bush's visit earlier this year has Afghanistan received so much attention, which does not actually seem to amount to much.

But yesterday's New York Times story was surprisingly aware of how average Afghans view the US military presence there. Aside from reporting "growing uncertainty" and pessimism about the future in Aghanistan, the Times aired Afghan frustrations with US methods and treatment of Afghans outside of Kabul.

"Three years on, the people are still hoping that things are going to work out, but they have become suspicious about why the Americans came, and why the Americans are treating the local people badly," said Jandad Spinghar, leader of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission in Nangarhar Province in the east, just across the Khyber Pass from Pakistan.

Poverty, joblessness, frustrated expectations and the culture of 25 years of war make for a volatile mix in which American military raids, shootings and imprisonments can inflame public opinion, many here say.

"Generally people are not against the Americans," Mr. Spinghar said. "But in areas where there are no human rights, where they do not have good relations and where there is bad treatment of villagers or prisoners, this will hand a free area to the Taliban. It's very important that the Americans understand how the Afghan people feel."

Reflecting the shifting popular mood, President Hamid Karzai has publicly criticized the behavior of American troops and called for closer cooperation when Afghan homes are raided.