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In Helmand, finding a local solution

As withdrawal deadline nears, British soldiers in Helmand province are hurrying to recruit villagers for Afghan Local Police force.

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Jan. 3, 2012

British soldiers from the Yorkshire Regiment walk during a patrol to a checkpoint outside the Forward Operating Base Khar Nikah in Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province, Afghanistan. The British troops have been maintaining a forward operating base here since 2007 because the village is crucial for the security of a nearby highway, which is one of the most important transportation routes in the country.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

Afghan farmers take a rest after working in the fields in Khar Nikah. Villagers here primarily rely on agriculture for their living.

Jan. 3, 2012

Afghan farmers take a rest after working in the fields in Khar Nikah. Villagers here primarily rely on agriculture for their living.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

Members of the Afghan Local Police force in Khar Nikah village discuss their need for weapons and ammunitions with Capt. Badri Rai of the British army. The British are trying to recruit young men between the ages of 18 and 35 who can become part of the ALP, known here as Mahli police.

Jan. 2, 2012

Members of the Afghan Local Police force in Khar Nikah village discuss their need for weapons and ammunitions with Capt. Badri Rai of the British army. The British are trying to recruit young men between the ages of 18 and 35 who can become part of the ALP, known here as Mahli police.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

Jendral, an Afghan villager who recently joined the local police force in Khar Nikah village, speaks with Capt. Badri Rai who is in charge of training and mentoring the Afghan Local Police team for the British army in Khar Nikah. Jendral had come to complain that a local police commander who recently resigned from his position asked him to hand him the AK-47 that was assigned by the British forces.

Jan. 1, 2012

Jendral, an Afghan villager who recently joined the local police force in Khar Nikah village, speaks with Capt. Badri Rai who is in charge of training and mentoring the Afghan Local Police team for the British army in Khar Nikah. Jendral had come to complain that a local police commander who recently resigned from his position asked him to hand him the AK-47 that was assigned by the British forces.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

Members of the Afghan Local Police force in the Khar Nikah village in upper Gereshk valley pose with their newly assigned AK-47s after completing their training. The recruits are usually trained for three weeks in basic defensive tactics, running a vehicle checkpoint and searching vehicles for improvised explosive devices.

Jan. 2, 2012

Members of the Afghan Local Police force in the Khar Nikah village in upper Gereshk valley pose with their newly assigned AK-47s after completing their training. The recruits are usually trained for three weeks in basic defensive tactics, running a vehicle checkpoint and searching vehicles for improvised explosive devices.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

Capt. Badri Rai of the British army, center, chats with members of the local police force almost on a daily basis. Some ALP members are diligent about checking in with Rai and informing him about insurgent activities and locations of improvised explosive devices in the village.

Jan. 2, 2012

Capt. Badri Rai of the British army, center, chats with members of the local police force almost on a daily basis. Some ALP members are diligent about checking in with Rai and informing him about insurgent activities and locations of improvised explosive devices in the village.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

Torzan, one of the earliest members of the Afghan Local Police force in Khar Nikah village, provides cover to his colleagues during a vehicle check in Khar Nikah. The Taliban has put a price on Torzan's head because he is known to be loyal to the British. Whenever there is a firefight in the area, Torzan gets there with his rifle. For that very reason, some British soldiers call him 'Lion of the Green Zone.'

Jan. 2, 2012

Torzan, one of the earliest members of the Afghan Local Police force in Khar Nikah village, provides cover to his colleagues during a vehicle check in Khar Nikah. The Taliban has put a price on Torzan's head because he is known to be loyal to the British. Whenever there is a firefight in the area, Torzan gets there with his rifle. For that very reason, some British soldiers call him "Lion of the Green Zone."

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

Members of the Afghan Local Police force listen to the district governor during a shura in Khar Nikah village. The district governor came to Khar Nikah to listen to concerns of the villagers, as well as ALP members, who want the government to build bridges, schools and health centers in the village.

Dec. 29, 2011

Members of the Afghan Local Police force listen to the district governor during a shura in Khar Nikah village. The district governor came to Khar Nikah to listen to concerns of the villagers, as well as ALP members, who want the government to build bridges, schools and health centers in the village.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

Afghan men sit outside their home on a chilly morning in Khar Nikah village. The British forces at forward operating base Khar Nikah want to recruit young men in the local police force, but they are not having much success. The commander of the British regiment in the village says the hierarchial system in Afghan culture makes it difficult for the British to decide who gets to be in the police force and who doesn't.

Jan. 3, 2011

Afghan men sit outside their home on a chilly morning in Khar Nikah village. The British forces at forward operating base Khar Nikah want to recruit young men in the local police force, but they are not having much success. The commander of the British regiment in the village says the hierarchial system in Afghan culture makes it difficult for the British to decide who gets to be in the police force and who doesn't.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

A young member of the Afghan Local Police plays with his British mentor during a training session inside forward operating base Khar Nikah. British mentors complain that most of the locals are not serious about their responsibilities and have joined the police force solely for money.

Jan. 2, 2011

A young member of the Afghan Local Police plays with his British mentor during a training session inside forward operating base Khar Nikah. British mentors complain that most of the locals are not serious about their responsibilities and have joined the police force solely for money.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

A British Gurkha soldier provides cover for a re-supply tractor during a patrol in Khar Nikah. The forward operating base in the village operates about a half dozen patrol bases and checkpoints in the area, which is manned by British forces.

Jan. 3, 2012

A British Gurkha soldier provides cover for a re-supply tractor during a patrol in Khar Nikah. The forward operating base in the village operates about a half dozen patrol bases and checkpoints in the area, which is manned by British forces.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

Soldiers from the Royal Gurkha Rifles regiment of the British army play volleyball in an afternoon at patrol base Bahadur in Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province. The Gurkha soldiers are recruited by the British government from Nepal, a tradition that has continued for almost 240 years. There are about 100 Gurkhas in Khar Nikah, who work closely with their British counterparts to train ALP members and patrol the village everyday.

Jan. 3, 2012

Soldiers from the Royal Gurkha Rifles regiment of the British army play volleyball in an afternoon at patrol base Bahadur in Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province. The Gurkha soldiers are recruited by the British government from Nepal, a tradition that has continued for almost 240 years. There are about 100 Gurkhas in Khar Nikah, who work closely with their British counterparts to train ALP members and patrol the village everyday.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

British Gurkha soldiers from the Yorkshire Regiment take positions outside a patrol base in the village of Khar Nikah. The soldiers often get attacked by the Taliban during patrols through open fields. In January, a British Gurkha soldier was killed after the Taliban started shooting at patrol forces.

Jan. 3, 2012

British Gurkha soldiers from the Yorkshire Regiment take positions outside a patrol base in the village of Khar Nikah. The soldiers often get attacked by the Taliban during patrols through open fields. In January, a British Gurkha soldier was killed after the Taliban started shooting at patrol forces.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

Villagers look by as British forces patrol the fields in Khar Nikah in Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province, Afghanistan. The British are eager to recruit more Afghan men in the local police force, but they say they cannot trust everyone in the village.

Jan. 3, 2012

Villagers look by as British forces patrol the fields in Khar Nikah in Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand province, Afghanistan. The British are eager to recruit more Afghan men in the local police force, but they say they cannot trust everyone in the village.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

British soldiers from the Yorkshire Regiment pass by local children on route to a patrol base in the village of Khar Nikah in Helmand province.

Jan. 3, 2012

British soldiers from the Yorkshire Regiment pass by local children on route to a patrol base in the village of Khar Nikah in Helmand province.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

Young Afghans warm themselves in the sun on a cold afternoon in Khar Nikah village. Many of these Afghans say that if they join the local police force, the Taliban will retaliate against them once the British forces leave the village.

Jan. 1, 2012

Young Afghans warm themselves in the sun on a cold afternoon in Khar Nikah village. Many of these Afghans say that if they join the local police force, the Taliban will retaliate against them once the British forces leave the village.

Anup Kaphle / The Washington Post

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