"Today, I'm here to listen to you and hear your problems," Karzai told about 300 elders in a mosque in the central part of the town.
The elders didn't hold back.
They complained — sometimes shouting — about corruption among former Afghan government officials. They lamented how schools in Marjah were turned into military posts by international forces. They said shops were looted during the military offensive, and alleged that innocent civilians were detained by international forces.
Seated on a cushion on the floor of the mosque, Karzai nodded as men in turbans and sequined hats held forth on the problems they've faced, both from years of government neglect and heavy fighting in recent weeks.
Karzai's visit with NATO commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal was part of NATO's new counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, which aims to rout insurgents from population centers, set up a credible and effective civilian government and rush in aid.
The government's task in Marjah is to convince residents of the town in Helmand province that the civilian government can provide them with a better life than the Taleban, which were routed during a three-week offensive.
Karzai flew to Marjah and met the elders near the town's main bazaar. McChrystal joined him on the floor of the mosque, but did not speak during the nearly two-hour meeting.
The elders expressed outrage over house searches conducted by the military, and civilian casualties that occurred during the offensive. They told Karzai they want Afghan troops — not international forces or local policemen — searching houses. The elders — some gesturing to express their frustration — also said they wanted clinics and schools, and were losing patience with the central government's inability to provide services.
The president said the central government intends to be more responsive to the people's needs.
"Are you against me or with me?" Karzai asked the elders. "Are you going to support me?"
The elders all raised their hands and shouted: "We are with you. We are supporting you."
Marjah residents have heard promises from the central government before. International and Afghan forces have taken over Marjah at least three times before. In the past, local governments that were set up failed to deliver on commitments to build clinics and schools. Marjah residents said last month that the former police force sent in 2009 was so corrupt that locals rose up and drove them out — even before the Taleban returned.
