Corruption, failure fuel Afghan insurgency

An incident in which 34 civilians were killed nearly a week ago in a coalition strike in Kandahar province prompted a rare visit by President Hamid Karzai, who seldom dares set foot in the area, to reassure an increasingly frustrated population.

And on Saturday about 200 bearded and turbaned tribal elders, religious leaders and political officials met to debate the problem.

Villagers must be more vigilant about turning away militants who are trying to establish a presence in their areas, some elders said.

Afghan officials said last week that Taliban militants were trying to retake some territory in the south, the birthplace of their ultra-Islamist movement, moving the insurgency on from mere guerrilla-style attacks.

"Let's stop the Taliban from using our homes and villages, brothers," said one tribal chief, Malik Nazar Gul, from Kandahars Dand district.