The U.S. Marine Corps have figured out an interesting way to get information.  I say interesting for two reasons: it is non-confrontational and involves women from both the US and Afghanistan.

The new strategy used by the Marine Corps involves groups of four to five women accompanying the teams of men going on patrols in the Helmand Province of rural Afghanistan.  Their mission is to attempt to gain the trust of Afghan women, who have more influence than one would expect.  If they win over the women, the Marines hope to gain the trust of the rural population as a whole.

The tactics: engagement.  Because Afghan women are culturally off-limits to outside men, it has been difficult to get information from them, as female Marines have not been able to go on patrols full-time until now.  These “engagement teams” will meet women in their homes (after getting permission from the house’s elder), and begin a conversation with them by asking basic questions, trying to get as much information as they can.

Gaining the trust of the general population by beginning with the women is not the only reason that the engagement teams are there.  Women are also a great source of information, as they exchange news from one village to another when they meet at communal places, like wells.  They can carry intelligence involving the political dynamics of their community, and more importantly, information on insurgents and the Taliban.

Speaking with the women is also a great way to get information on how to improve the communities.  “If the population has told you that their biggest problem is irrigation and your unit does something about it, that’s a huge success,” said Marina Kielpinski, the instructor of the team’s program.  (She also said, “If you have a pony tail, let it go out the back of your helmet so people can see you’re a woman.”)

The strategy is a part of General Stanley A. McChrystal’s campaign for Afghan hearts and minds.  He says that “you cannot gain the trust of the Afghan population if you only talk to half of it”.

I read about this issue in the New York Times.  Their article, by Elisabeth Bumiller, is here.

Send me your comments! What do you think of the new strategy?  Will it work?  What are the risks involved?  Would love to hear your opinion.

Tags: Afghanistan, non-violence, war, women