// JavaScript Document Tomorrow\'s (referred to as storyText below) // 4. a link if you'd like one (referred to as storyLink below) // STORIES = [ ['slideshow/images/0_roya.jpg', 'Roya Aziz', 'The following slide show reveals the faces and opinions of a cross section of people from Afghanistan: what they think about NATO\'s presence, the resurgence of the Taliban, and how their war-torn country might be fixed.<\/i>

\"When I recently visited a northern province, a group of villagers told me that they lacked electricity. My immediate response was to ask why that was important to them, given that their crops are threatened by floods, and there were only a couple of primary schools serving the entire district. \"They brought the ballot boxes and they told us that the rich countries would provide electricity and there would be new factories,\" one of them responded.

In my travels across the country, whether in the relatively secure north and west or in the volatile south and east, people voiced the same expectations of reconstruction and the same rejection of violence. While the country is not on the brink of collapse, people are insecure, which is why Afghans welcome the presence of NATO troops. More important, beyond the country\'s provincial capitals, there are few assurances of security from the army or police. Instead, local strongmen, armed groups such as the Taliban and other networks have filled the void. -- Roya Aziz<\/b>', '1', '12'], ['slideshow/images/1_niaz_muhammad.jpg', 'Niaz Muhammad, mid-40s, Farmer, Taka Timuz, Takhar Province', 'The majority of Afghans live in rural villages. Taka Timuz is located near the provincial capital of Takhar in northeastern Afghanistan.<\/i>

\"They pulled Saddam Hussein out of a hole, but they can\'t find bin Laden or get rid of the Taliban now? But what do I know. I don\'t know anything about politics. For 20 years, I carried a weapon. Now I\'m just a simple farmer. When the snows melt, our village is threatened by floods. I don\'t see NATO; I don\'t see the government. The NGOs act like our government, but I\'m not happy with their help.

\"Warlords don\'t bother us in our village, but if NATO leaves, our security situation will worsen. No one has been disarmed. Of course, NATO shouldn\'t be killing our innocent brothers elsewhere in the country. I tell you, no Afghan wants war again. We are tired of war, but we will always defend our country."', '2', '0'], ['slideshow/images/2_nowabad.jpg', 'Jan Agha (l) and Haji Agha Gul (r), Villagers, Nowabad, Kunduz Province', 'Kunduz, a northern province, is host to a large contingent of German International Security Assistance Force troops. Provincial reconstruction teams are active in the region. The village of Nowabad lies off a main road used by NATO personnel. Large billboards along the road warn cars to keep a safe distance from the tanks because of attacks on the convoys.<\/i>

Jan Agha:<\/b> \"We have a good life in this village. Conditions in the north are good. We\'ve seen reconstruction. There are some projects. This road here is good all the way to Badakhshan.\"

Haji Agha Gul:<\/b> \"We can put food on the table, praise be to God. But we want our children to go to school and to have better opportunities. Of course, we are worried about security. We worry about thugs and commanders, but the police are not much better. We try to resolve our own problems. \"Life was best during the king\"s time. [King Zahir Shah was deposed in a bloodless coup in 1973.] We were poor then too, but there was peace in the country and there was less corruption.\"', '3', '1'], ['slideshow/images/3_fariba.jpg', 'Fariba Ahmadi Kakar, Member of Parliament, Kandahar', 'Fariba Ahmadi Kakar is the government representative for Kandahar, the southern province that has seen some of the fiercest clashes between Taliban fighters and NATO troops.<\/i>

\"NATO\'s role needs to be made clear. Its presence is a good thing for our country, but if they continue as they have -- with bombings that have destroyed people\'s homes and killed their families -- then there is no doubt that ordinary people will rise up against them. With each civilian attack they create enmity.

\"The solution to our present security situation lies in negotiation, forgiveness and reconciliation. The Taliban should receive a share in the government. We have gone through this process with other Taliban and other government opponents. Jihad leaders are present at all levels of the government today. Inviting the Taliban to discussions is the best way to solve the problem.\"', '4', '2'], ['slideshow/images/4_nurullah_nuri.jpg', 'Nurullah Nuri, 27, Reporter, Kandahar and Helmand', 'Originally from Helmand Province, where the Taliban have taken control of several districts, Nurullah Nuri is a Kandahar-based reporter for national radio programs. He has reported extensively in the region.<\/i>

\"A lot of people in the south have reached a point where they think NATO is helping the Taliban. Five years ago the international coalition was able to remove the Taliban from power in just 20 days. So how is that today they can\'t remove them from one small district? This makes people think that NATO has a design to keep the Taliban in control. My feeling is that there is a lack of coordination among NATO countries and between NATO and the Afghan National Army.

\"People don\'t want the Taliban in power, but they also say that there is no way that NATO can win militarily. This is based on our history with foreign powers. The bombings are not a good strategy. The source of the problem needs to be dealt with.

\"Most of the youth who join the Taliban are fighting for money. In the last 25 years of war, there has been so much destruction. People are jobless. These youth don\'t know what the Taliban\'s goals are, but their personal goal is not jihad or to defend Islam.\"', '5', '3'], ['slideshow/images/5_simin.jpg', 'Simin Yusufi, 26, Medical Student, Kabul', 'Simin Yusufi was born and raised in Afghanistan, though like many Afghans she immigrated to Pakistan during the six years the Taliban were in power.<\/i>

\"Security is not good in Afghanistan. A lot of the refugees who returned from neighboring countries regret their decision to return. People do not have good lives. Unemployment is high and there doesn\'t seem to be any improvement. I will have a better life because I can probably find a job as a doctor working for an NGO.

\"NATO\'s presence is a positive thing for our country, but it\'s very important that they leave as soon as our national army and police forces are able to stand on their own against the terrorists and the Pakistani occupiers. The focus should be on strengthening our security forces.\"', '6', '4'], ['slideshow/images/6_khadija.jpg', 'Khadija, 18, High School Graduate, Kabul', '\"I want to continue studying, but a Kabul University degree doesn\'t have much value. The quality of education is not good, but the fee to study at a private college is at least $150 per semester and I can\'t afford that. My father passed away in the wars, and one of my brothers supports us. My other brother can\'t find work. I\'m taking English and computer courses so that I can find a good job.

\"I get the sense that NATO has failed to secure the peace. At least people say they have failed. I\'m concerned about the security.\"', '7', '5'], ['slideshow/images/7_engineering.jpg', 'Najib Saburi (l) and Esmat Maiwand (r), Assistant Professors, Engineering Faculty, Kabul University ', 'Najib Saburi:<\/b> \"The people who oppose NATO are people who are working for foreign governments that are trying to destabilize Afghanistan. Afghans welcomed NATO because we couldn\'t trust our armed forces. The anti-NATO feelings are due to the attacks on civilians. The Soviets\' biggest mistake in Afghanistan was not to respect our traditions and our religious sentiments. NATO faces the same problems. When there is a killing, someone has to pay a blood price to the family. NATO is indifferent to these rules.\"

Esmat Maiwand:<\/b> \"The foreign powers that are interfering in our internal politics use Islam to evoke an emotional reaction among people. I don\'t think there is such a thing as the Taliban. I think disaffected people have been collected under a banner that is called Taliban. For example, if you look, most of the reconstruction is taking place in the north and the big cities. The south has been left out.\"', '8', '6'], ['slideshow/images/8_gul_jan.jpg', 'Gul Jan, 53, Government Employee, Kabul', 'We had the best life during Dr. Najibullah\'s rule [the Communist president who was ousted by mujahadeen forces in 1992 and murdered by the Taliban in 1996]. The cost of living was not high. The prices of goods were low, and the government gave us coupons [subsidies on basic commodities]. There was no killing or kidnappings.

\"I\'ve been widowed for six years. My husband was beaten by the Taliban and was paralyzed before he finally died. Before I became a widow, I was a housewife. Now I am the breadwinner. I support six children. I\'m grateful that I have a job. So many people can\'t even bring a small salary home, but it\'s very difficult to make ends meet.\"', '9', '7'], ['slideshow/images/9_rahima.jpg', 'Rahima Rashidi, Teacher, Girls\' School, Kandahar', 'The city of Kandahar has been the site of many suicide-bomb attacks targeting NATO convoys, which travel the main roads and side streets. Kandaharis have felt the brunt of the rising insecurity.<\/i>

\"Our school is located near the provincial government compound, and there have been several attacks. There was one just behind the school. Some parents have kept their kids home, but the vast majority of students still come to school. We have to continue with our lives. Of course, we worry about what happens on the way to school, on the way to home. It\'s dangerous. What if you\'re caught behind the tanks and there is an explosion? People in Kandahar are very nervous. We are tired of all this violence.\"', '10', '8'], ['slideshow/images/10_qadir.jpg', 'Qadir, 22, Unemployed, Herat City', 'Land mines have killed and maimed thousands of Afghans. Qadir, who is missing a leg and is unemployed, depends on the kindness of religious visitors to Herat\'s 800-year-old mosque. He earns just a few afghanis (the national currency) each day.<\/i>

\"I think it\'s good that ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] is here. They came to stop the war. I lost my leg in a mine explosion during the Soviet occupation. I was very little. I haven\'t learned a trade. No one wants to hire a one-legged man.

\"My life hasn\'t changed since [President] Karzai came to power. I beg in the morning, I beg in the afternoon. I hope that things improve.\"', '11', '9'], ]; function switchStory(story) { document.getElementById("storyImage").src = STORIES[story][0]; document.getElementById("storyTitle").innerHTML = STORIES[story][1]; document.getElementById("storyText").innerHTML = STORIES[story][2]; //document.getElementById("storyQuote").innerHTML = STORIES[story][3]; document.getElementById("storyLink").innerHTML = "\"Next\""; document.getElementById("storyLinkb").innerHTML = "\"Back\""; return false; } // -->