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[[File:Afg-US1.jpg|thumb|320px|left|American Chinook helicopters from 101st Aviation Regiment depart from Forward Operating Base Ramrod in Kandahar]]
[[File:Afg-US1.jpg|thumb|320px|left|American Chinook helicopters from 101st Aviation Regiment depart from Forward Operating Base Ramrod in Kandahar]]
===Weaknesses of the government===
The pro-Karzai Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazara Shiites and Uzbeks that form the ruling coalition are not united, and the government they dominate is extremely weak and poverty-stricken. The Afghan government controls only 30% of the country. The country is resource-poor -- there is no oil--and the only rich resource is opium poppies. There is no educated base for a competent bureaucracy, and the army is little more than an amateur collection of tribal militias. 90% of the soldiers are illiterate, making them very hard to train to modern standards.
The rebels in the southern provinces come from the Pashtuns tribes, which form 44% of the population. Only a minority of Pashtuns support the rebels. The Taliban have a significant presence in many Pashtun villages, as well as a sanctuary in neighboring Pakistan. The number of armed insurgents has grown from 3,000 in 2006 to 15,000- 20,000 in 2009. They are locals who know the hiding places in the extremely difficult terrain, and receive protection support from some Pashtun tribes.
The Afghans have a 2500 year tradition of strongly distrusting --and fighting--armed outsiders.
===US politics===
===US politics===