A NATO Bid to Regain Afghans' Trust

PANJWAI, Afghanistan -- The road to this southern Afghan farming town is wide, smooth and utterly empty, except for an occasional old man on a bicycle or a meandering herd of baby camels.

It was paved last year with Japanese funds, to help farmers send their grapes to market and to make it easier for patients to reach hospitals in the city of Kandahar, 20 miles to the east. But that was before war came to Panjwai, making its name synonymous with the physical destruction and political mayhem wrought by months of Taliban attacks and NATO bombing.

Buy This Photo Canadian soldiers meet with Afghan farmers in Panjwai, where a NATO team is repairing damage wrought in the area during fighting with Taliban insurgents. (Photos By Pamela Constable -- The Washington Post) Save & Share Article What's This? Digg Google del.icio.us Yahoo! Reddit