The sad reality is that NATO-led coalition troops (and increasingly aid workers, too) are broadly perceived as the new occupiers by Afghans, even by those who initially welcomed the US-led intervention in 2001.
Make an effort to better understand Afghanistan. Read about the place. Try to learn the Afghans’ language and eat their food. Try not to talk about the “enemy” as if the armed opposition were all one and the same. Some are foreign-backed insurgents, but most are ordinary Afghans who oppose the international forces for diverse reasons, such as the killing of a family member.
Improve basic behavior. Don’t “bead” rifles on civilians while in convoy, shout verbal abuse, or aim guns at crowds while shoving forward in traffic. And lose the shades. Showing your eyes makes you more human.
