Fighting a new war

US-led troops have been scouring Afghan mountains

By Damian Grammaticas BBC correspondent in Afghanistan

On the ground in Afghanistan the United States and coalition forces are fighting with what is looking more and more like a guerrilla war.

The soldiers are heavily armed

They are trying to track down small groups of remaining men from al-Qaeda and the Taleban.

The US are having to evolve new strategies to find fighters who launch occasional attacks and then blend back into local communities.

Half-an-hour flying time south of Kabul and a US army Blackhawk helicopter deposits us in a dry, dusty field in the Logar province of Afghanistan.

The earth is rock hard, full of stubble from recently harvested corn.

At least 100 American soldiers are crouching by a low mud wall, or behind small bushes and trees, their weapons trained on the village of Hesarak just 100 metres (330 feet) away.

Some have machine guns, others rocket launchers.

Public relations

"We are looking for al-Qaeda and Taleban members here in this location," explains Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Fetterman.

We are afraid of the Americans, they took away my classmate, he is not a Taleban and he's not a terrorist

Afghan villager Ahmad Shah

"We haven't found any. But obviously we're looking for any kind of evidence that they have been here such as passports and documents, and we're doing that as we speak."

This is a part real operation, part public relations exercise.

And immediately things do not go according to plan.

As the colonel speaks a flock of turkeys gather round him, gobbling noisily near his feet.

The 101st Airborne sound like they have landed in a farmyard. There are shades of the surreal.

A crowd of local Afghan villagers have come out to see what all the commotion is about, comprised mostly of girls in red and blue shawls, old men with lined faces and inquisitive children.

"It is a mistake that you are here," says a village elder.

"We are only workers, we have no Taleban or al-Qaeda people in our village."

He shows us his hands, ingrained with dirt from working in the fields.

Homes searched

The US troops came into this village at night four days ago.

We tell them we've come in peace, we've come to support their government, we've come to do no harm

US Army Civilian Affairs Officer David Young

They have searched homes, and taken over at least two mud-walled family compounds.

They will not let anyone near them, and they have taken away three men for questioning.

"We are afraid of the Americans," Ahmad Shah tells me. "They took away my classmate, he is not a Taleban and he's not a terrorist."

A knot of people gather round as a US soldier opens up a pack full of medical supplies.

"I want some people with open cuts and sores, I've got the supplies to treat them," shouts Captain Todd Flemming.

He is not a doctor, but is trained in battlefield lifesaving techniques.

Winning loyalty

On most US ground operations there are now soldiers like this, whose job it is to try to win over the loyalties of local villagers.

The Taleban and al-Qaeda are for the most part an invisible army to the US

They give first aid, along with warnings about mines, and packs of pencils and paper for the children.

Captain Flemming has only a few rudimentary medical supplies, he can only really deal with minor problems.

It looks like a sticking-plaster solution, not a long-term strategy to bring real health benefits to Afghan villages.

"The population are sometimes kind of scared when all these army guys come in," says Civilian Affairs Officer David Young.

"So we tell them we've come in peace, we've come to support their government, we've come to do no harm."

"In a matter of fact they can see that we are helping them with medical assistance, helping them get their wells back, helping them with their schools."

Tension

But the message of peace is ignored. There are shouts, a commotion, then punches are thrown among the Afghans and rocks begin to fly.

US troops rely on back up for potentially dangerous demonstrations

Some of the men are fighting, trying to get their hands on the US gifts.

Immediately the tension rises. US soldiers shout at the men to cool off. With a loudspeaker they tell the Afghans to back away.

And they radio for Apache helicopters, which pass low overhead.

A crackle of static on the radio and US nerves are frayed even further.

A US spotter has just seen two Russian built T55 and T54 tanks on a hillside 3 kilometres (1.8 miles) away.

Immediately the ground commander, Colonel Fetterman, calls for air support.

"They're not moving towards us or doing anything threatening," he says.

"But I called in F-18s to come over the area as a demonstration. Just in case they are not friendly, they will know not to attempt anything untoward in our direction."

Fine line

Suddenly this feels like hostile territory for the US soldiers.

They are fighting what resembles a guerrilla war, trying to track down the remnants of al-Qaeda and the Taleban.

It is an enemy that is invisible for the most part. Every day or two they fire a few rounds at US soldiers in areas such as Logar province to keep them on edge.

Then they vanish back into the local villages or the hills.

For the US forces, finding these fighters without alienating people in places such as Hesarak is not easy.

It is a fine line the Americans are treading.