The recent US troops-led operation in Afghanistan has resulted in killing of scores of militants but the security situation remains far from certain. The harrowing law and order situation, kidnappings, roadside ambushes, banditry and violence have become a par for the course in the daily lives of the Afghan people. The Karzai government has failed miserably in delivering substantial relief and the country once again is in the lap of warlords. There is no doubt that the Americans have failed to work out a feasible plan for the reconstruction of the country after ravaging the whole civilian infrastructure and the people are in a soup now with no hope of redemption in the foreseeable future. Since the ancient times Afghanistan has been a subject of vicissitudes. When Genghis Khan passed through the winding Khyber, he staged an arena of bloodshed but even he was compelled to reach an agreement with the tribal lords. Centuries later in 1842, the British were forced to withdraw from Kabul with a force of 16,500 soldiers. The Russians launched an incursion in late 1970's but met the fate of their predecessors. After the Soviet withdrawal, the Taliban played havoc with the destiny of the nation and committed violations of human rights blatantly. The women were deprived of their right to education and the Islamic injunctions were implemented by force. In 2001, the Americans ventured into a risky enterprise and ultimately have got bogged down here mainly because of its strategic mistakes. Today even after a long period of seven years, the US forces have not succeeded in dismantling the Taliban command structure in sensitive areas. The latest intelligence reports suggest that Taliban forces have retrenched in Farah bordering northwest Helmand, the province where about 8000 British troops are stationed. The Taliban's, beaten in conventional warfare, are now relying on suicide bombings and guerrilla attacks. On June 14, the Taliban fighters managed to help 11,000 prisoners escape by blasting the jail and killing the prison guards. The prison raid was a serious blow to President Hamid Karzai as it came a day after the world donors pledged $420 billion to rebuild Afghanistan. Despite the presence of about 70,000 international troops mainly operating under NATO, the Taliban resistance aimed at toppling the US-backed government in Kabul has gained momentum in the past two years. The Kandahar jailbreak has sent jitters among the western nations and now Afghanistan is replacing Iraq as the focus of "terror war." During the month of May, the violence has proved deadlier for the foreign forces as the coalition deaths rose to 23. The US at this time is caught between the Scylla of quitting Afghanistan and "getting hurt back home" and the Charbydes of continuing fighting without success. The recent Taliban advance into Arghandab is embarrassing for both the NATO and Afghan forces as it is a very strategic area and the Taliban's can easily target their attacks in Kandahar. This area has pomegranate trees in abundance which can provide good cover for the Taliban. Local politics also goes a long way in giving a boost to the insurgency. In Helmand, for instance, the Itzakzai tribe, feeling excluded from power since 2001, are big Taliban supporters. The Taliban's are no more monolithic Islamists as they were in 2001.Alongside the diehard madressah - trained Taliban's are growing fighters who are drawn to fight for many reasons: unemployment; to protect illegal opium crops or to obey tribal loyalties. The fact of the matter is that a holistic and multi-pronged approach is required to bring normalcy to the strife-torn country. In October 2007, the NATO's defence ministers gathered in Noordwijk in Netherlands to find ways to deal with the Afghan insurgency. General McNeill in the meeting said, "The only way the Taliban can be defeated is with a strong Afghan government, strong Afghan security forces and a wedge driven between the insurgents and the people." The task of alienating the people from the insurgents is Promethean and cannot be accomplished unless institutional reforms are undertaken to provide good governance. Strong institutions in any country provide the strongest bulwark against the activities of desperados and mafias. The Afghan government needs to launch a crackdown on corruption and provide the local people a way of resolving competing interests and claims on resources in a peaceful way. The government must make an all-out effort to get rid of the opium problem. When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, the uncertainty increased among the people regarding their future. In these desperate circumstances, opium came as a lucrative cash crop and the people switched their pomegranate fields and vineyards to poppy cultivation. Therefore, the government must improve the overall economy and provide employment to the jobless people in order to minimise the frustration. It is time for the US to realise that the military force is not the panacea of all problems but nation building requires much more beyond that and focus on measures yielding long-term results. The writer is a law student E-mail: naumanasghar@hotmail.com