Disillusioned Afghans look to Taliban

The Taliban are here, pamphlets announce, waiting to restore their harsh brand of Islam.

And if the Taliban or people like them return to power, many in this deeply conservative region say they will not resist -- they are fed up with lawlessness, feel ignored by the central government and fear U.S. forces.

"Unless people are given work and the government in Kabul can establish security outside the bazaars, people will begin to fight them," said Eshanullah, a gaunt, bearded restaurant owner in Qalat, the capital of Zabul province, about 220 miles southwest of Kabul.

In Kabul, the Afghan capital, which attracts most of the world's attention, money and foreign visitors, Afghan and international officials speak of a new era in this war-ravaged country now that the Taliban are ousted and their al Qaeda allies routed.

But in the countryside, especially in impoverished southern provinces dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, the new Afghanistan has been one of disillusionment. In some areas, the old ways are returning.

In neighboring Ghazni province, 20 men with guns now protect the Johan Malaka Ghazni High School for girls, which was rocketed more than a month ago. No one was injured and damage was slight, but the children were badly frightened.

"The girls are coming to school now, but we provide heavy security for them," said Amanullah, a government commander. He said the rocket followed pamphlets warning parents to keep their daughters at home.