Trying to Win Afghanistan without Afghan Women

Half-Hearted: Trying to Win Afghanistan without Afghan Women

by Captain Matt Pottinger, Hali Jilani, and Claire Russo

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By fits and starts, United States and allied military forces are realizing how difficult it will be to win the war in Afghanistan without half its population, the Afghan women.

One of the few military efforts aimed at earning the support of women began a year ago when a handful of female U.S. Marines and a civilian linguist formed the first “Female Engagement Team” (pronounced “FET”). The team visited rural Pashtun women in their homes and distributed humanitarian supplies, in the process earning the goodwill of women who, before they had spoken with the Marine team, had viewed international troops with fear.

Since then, more FETs have stood up. The 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade now employs several teams on an intermittent basis in southern Afghanistan. U.S. soldiers and airmen in the country’s east run FETs that, in cooperation with district governments, teach health classes to local women. All international and Afghan security forces were ordered in November to establish FETs of their own.

Download the full article: Trying to Win Afghanistan without Afghan Women

Captain Matt Pottinger is a U.S. Marine based at International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Headquarters in Kabul. He co-founded and trained the first Female Engagement Team in February 2009.

Hali Jilani is a Pashtun-American who has worked at the grassroots level in war and conflict zones for two decades. Fluent in Pashto, she is serving in southern Afghanistan as Task Force Leatherneck’s cultural advisor.

Claire Russo is a civilian advisor to the U.S. Army in eastern Afghanistan. She deployed as a Marine officer to Anbar Province, Iraq, in 2006.