Kandahar already a huge success.

Kandahar already a huge success.

Human Terrain System most effective force multiplier,

end run around kinetics?

The meat:

Thus, scores that combine district responses to compute an overall provincial

score reflect only the districts in this study

Kandahar Province Demographics

A total of 1,994 individuals were interviewed with a margin of error of ±4.2%. A full

depiction of the demographic summary is presented in Appendix 3. By gender, the sample is

56% male and 44% female. Due to local security conditions, only men were surveyed in

Maywand and Shah Wali Kot districts. Sixty percent are between the ages of 18 and 34; 40%

are 35 and older. The mean age is 34. Fifty-seven percent have no formal education.

Thirty-eight percent are employed in non-farm professions, nine percent are unemployed, and

43% are housewives. An additional 7% are full-time farmers. Eighty-two percent are

married. The monthly income based on the trichotomized sample is: less than 10,000 Afs

(28%), 10-20,000 Afs (33%), and more than 20,000 Afs (37%).

Ninety-nine percent of the sample is Pashtun and 98% is Sunni Muslim. In the Kandahar

sample, no tribes are greater than 10% of the sample. The most represented tribes in the

sample are Norzai and Alkozai, each at seven percent.

Corruption

Corruption in Kandahar not only affects all levels of government, 53% of respondents believe

it affects their daily lives, as well. In Maywand and Zhari, more than seven out of ten

respondents see corruption as a major concern in their daily lives (Figure 8). When asked

about the level of corruption in their district government, 63% believe it is a major problem.

The perceived level of corruption is highest in Kandahar City at 71%

( to fully understand the corruption issue, I'd like to see the same figures for feelings

about corruption in USA, by Americans. G)

                                                                                   ..... corruption in their districts

respondents were asked if they had to pay extra money for five services over the past year

(Figure 9). Approximately two-thirds (61%) of all individuals say they have paid extra fees to

obtain an identity document. The percentage is higher for five districts with no less than 55%

of respondents having to pay extra for this service. For civil court cases, in Maywand (71%),

Zhari (67%), and Shah Wali Kot (63%), a large proportion of individuals say they resort to

bribery and corruption to resolve cases.

A significant

majority of respondents think corruption is the underlying reason behind conflict in the

country. Furthermore, a strong majority of respondents believe that corruption in the

government forces them to seek alternate solutions to their problems. These solutions may

include reliance on anti-government elements. Slightly more than half of the Kandahar

respondents believe that the Taliban cannot be corrupted.

Respondents in all districts express concern about the provision of services and corruption.

Still, they give government officials high marks for managing dispute resolution, though not

for controlling corruption. Furthermore, government officials are not seen as providing

services equally across the province. Nevertheless, while perceptions of service provision

vary across districts, the people believe the local government is working hard for them.

There is a much weaker relationship between age of the respondent and perceptions of

political legitimacy by district (Table 10), as indicated by the fewer number of shaded cells in

the table. Age is split into younger/older categories based on the median age of the sample

(31 years). In Khakrez and Spin Boldak, however, respondents aged 31 or less do seem to

have a greater perception of political legitimacy, which declines with age.

The last assessment of political legitimacy is based on income levels (Table 11). Family

income is split along the median income of the sample, which is 19,000 AF/month. Kandahar

City and Spin Boldak residents have the most distinct differences in opinion based on the

high number of shaded cells in the row by district. The greatest disparity by income levels

appears in the dispute resolution column. Families with higher income tend to hold more

positive views of the district's ability to handle dispute resolution than those with lower

incomes.

Reconciliation

Reconciliation is a popular concept in Kandahar province. There is almost universal

agreement that negotiation with the Taliban is preferable to continued fighting (Figure 19).

Specific approaches such as calling a Loya Jirga and a jobs training program for former

fighters are both widely supported (Figure 20). The desire for reconciliation is likely driven

by the perception that the Taliban are part of Afghan society; a significant majority of

considering the ethnic makeup of the Taliban  highly Pashtun and the history

in Kandahar Province.

Methodology:

A total of 1,994 interviews covering nine districts were conducted in Kandahar Province

were conducted between December 23rd and 29th, 2009. Kandahar district was divided

between urban (Kandahar City) and rural areas.

Surveys were conducted by face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of adult

Afghan citizens, 18 years of age or older. Interviews were conducted in Dari or Pashtu

depending on the area.

The instability and frequent fighting in these provinces caused some sampling points

to be adjusted or replaced to keep interviewers out of areas with active violence.

The majority of the interviews were completed on the first attempt (99.6%),

The briefings for supervisors were held in Kabul. Issues emphasized during briefing(s)

included proper household and respondent selection, review of the questionnaire content,

appropriate interviewing techniques, and pilot interviews conducted to make sure the

concepts and techniques are well understood.

The total number of interviewers employed in this survey is 71

For Kandahar Province there were 338 refusals and 479 residences in which no one was

home.

Quality Control Methods

After the delivery of the questionnaires from field, most of the completed questionnaires

were subject to logical control for proper administration. In the delivered output, actual

interviewing was monitored directly by a supervisor in 1.7% of the sample. Another 12.2 %

of the completed interviews were back-checked by a supervisor in person. The issues verified

during in person back-checks were proper household and respondent selection, as well as

correct recording of answers to three randomly selected questions from the main body of the

questionnaire.

In Kandahar there were 102 interviews which were rejected due to a 90% or higher rate of

similarity to other interviews.

Results of Back-Check Controls

In Kandahar there were 102 interviews which were rejected due to a 90% or higher rate of

similarity to other interviews.

Problems Encountered During Field

On December 23rd, 2009 a civilian vehicle was struck by roadside IED near Kandahar city.

Reportedly the vehicle was en route from Spin Boldak to the center of the city. As a result of

which two people were killed. No arrests were made.

On December 24th, 2009, a suicide attack occurred in the vicinity of Kabul Bank, District 2,

Kandahar City of Kandahar province. Reportedly four people were injured. No one claimed

responsibility for the incident.

Because of security problems the following substitutions have been made:

14 different cities chosen, reason control of Taliban of the cities.

SOURCE:

APPLICATION AND USE:

Just the taking the survey
may have had huge impact.

IT WORKed...

Taliban looking to relieve pressure:

Just amazing work, GENIUS.
Such Anthro professionalism in the
middle of a WAR. 

Acute re-focusing of objectives

sways support and changes 

enemy's FRAME. ?
Law of unintended consequences
kicked in big time in US favor.

Maybe the most advanced WAR

paradigm ever executed.

Smells of huge success.

Executing the survey alone may have
embedded in the seminal demographic
a huge frame shift.
News of the Survey Q. would have
spread wide in Kandahar based
just on distribution.
Unintended but Effective Info War OP.
"They are asking this"

Gerald 

Anthropologist

With my hat off.

.