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KHAKAR, Afghanistan (AP) - There isn't a single foreign aid worker helping this village of illiterate have-nots. Visits by U.S. troops to dole out medicine, cooking oil and teddy bears are rare events. And when they leave, the Taliban move in from the mountains to undo their work.
Khakar is what the Americans call a "swing village." Given sustained security and assistance it might well side with the government; without them, it goes the way of the insurgents.
"This is commonplace. They're kind of sitting on the fence to see how things go," says Lt. Col. Karl Slaughenhaupt, a senior U.S. adviser to the Afghan National Army. "They are willing to support the government, but at this point in time we simply don't have enough contact with the people to push the anti-government elements out."
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