Peace, poll draw people back to south Afghan homes

By Jonathon Burch

BABAJI, Afghanistan (Reuters) – In scenes unthinkable only last month, dozens of Afghan men quietly lined up in a southern Afghan village at the weekend to register to vote in the presidential election.

Foreign troops were rarely seen in Babaji village in southern Helmand province until about three weeks ago, when the British military launched "Operation Panther's Claw," their largest operation since moving into the province in 2006.

The mud-brick village of Babaji and its surrounding farms and irrigation canals were long a safe haven for Taliban insurgents.

Hundreds of British soldiers faced stiff resistance as they advanced south toward Babaji and the Helmand River, a strategic and lush area north of the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah.

Fighting became heavier the further the troops pushed. Many roadside bombs, which have already killed scores of British troops, had been hidden along their route.

July has become the deadliest month for foreign forces in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in late 2001. Twenty British soldiers have been killed already this month.

Most families fled for nearby towns when the fighting began but people are slowly returning to their homes in Babaji.

Afghan election officials are setting up mobile registration centers to reach those people who missed out during the initial registration period for the August 20 poll. Ten districts -- five of them in Helmand -- missed out because of poor security.

At one of the new mobile centers, about 75 men queued up outside the British "base" -- a concrete compound in the middle of the village -- to pick up their voter registration cards.

"I'm very happy I'm able to register here and will be able to vote in the election," said Abdul Hakim.

"I hope there are no security problems here. I just want peace," the 29-year-old said after collecting his card.

Asked who he would vote for, Hakim would not give anything away. "On the day of the election I will decide," he laughed.

NO WOMEN ALLOWED

Crouching outside the compound waiting for his turn to register, 35-year-old Abdul Samad welcomed the improved security but said many people still stayed in their homes out of fear.

"Six months ago there was fighting here, there was no security. A lot of people fled the area," said Samad.

"But now also, a lot of people haven't come. Out of a 100 people only 20 have come. The other 80 aren't here," he said.

British soldiers estimate 40-50 percent of the population are living in their houses in Babaji again and more families are trickling back. But many are wary of their new neighbors.

One group that was unsurprisingly absent at voter registration on Saturday was the village's women.

Devoutly Muslim Afghanistan is one of the world's most conservative countries, where women play little role in public life. Helmand and the south are among the strictest areas.

"We do not give permission for women to ... register. In the cities maybe two out of every hundred are allowed," said Samad.

White-turbaned Kamal, 45, agreed. "It's not in our culture. In our tribe it's not allowed for women to vote," he said.

Major Paddy Ginn, the British officer in charge of the area, said the voter registration process had helped show villagers that the were there for the long run.

"When the Taliban are here they support the Taliban. When we are here they are very friendly and support us. What we have to do is tip them over the balance so they see the long-term ... solution is with the governance of Afghanistan," said Ginn.

But Ginn warned the Taliban would try to hit back.

In a grim echo of that warning, a British Viking armored vehicle hit a roadside bomb near Babaji early on Saturday, killing one soldier and wounding several others.