PANJWAII, Afghanistan - Soldiers in the Panjwaii district west of Kandahar city are getting the full impact of foreign fighters coming in for the summer fighting season.
Maj. Eleanor Taylor, the commander of a combat team at one of the forward operating bases, says there has been more contact in the past month than the previous battlegroup received during its tour.
But she notes summer is usually the busiest time and there are both Waziri fighters from a remote region of Pakistan and Pakistani fighters themselves.
Taylor says villagers near the base live in constant fear at this time of year and letters warning of retaliation for anyone who works with NATO are becoming more commonplace.
She adds the Taliban are "brutal and cruel" and aren't bound by North American-style morality.
To the west of the base is a 'no mans land', where NATO forces avoid and the Taliban are free to roam freely.
