At the Epicenter of the Conflict in Afghanistan

Recently I was in Kandahar, the city at the epicenter of the conflict in Afghanistan, for a week of field research. I spoke with many Afghan civilians, those directly affected and those not, to get a sense of their views of the different warring parties, and their attitudes toward the upcoming US and NATO offensive in Kandahar. Though military and governmental officials wax optimistic that this offensive will turn the tide in Afghanistan, those I spoke to feared it would only lead to more civilian harm in a city already ravaged by years of conflict.