An agreement between a prominent local tribe and US and Afghan forces in one of the most contested areas of Afghanistan to help stop Taliban attacks could mark an important moment in the war.

Afghan air force airmen and NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan advisers delivered more than 3,600 pounds of humanitarian aid to Bamyan province Dec. 23.

Afghan air force airmen and NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan advisers delivered more than 3,600 pounds of humanitarian aid to Bamyan province Dec. 23. Afghan and NATO troops distributed blankets, jackets, school supplies and soccer balls to the Bamyan Department of Women’s Affairs.

The philosophy is that the military can secure an area, while civilians implement quick impact development projects meant to win the support of Afghans. Hillary Clinton calls the strategy “smart power” and praises the inter-agency coordination it has brought to U.S. involvement there.

Bollywood finds mention in WikiLeaks in a confidential cable sent by U.S. diplomats in India suggesting that the appeal of Bollywood stars in Afghanistan could aid international efforts to stabilize the country. Media reports here over the weekend have quoted the March 2007 cable that was a response to a request from Washington for "specific, concrete ideas for opportunities for India to use soft power in helping Afghanistan's reconstruction."

Richard Holbrooke's successor as Washington's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan will inherit intractable problems not even the "bulldozer" of U.S. diplomacy was able to resolve. The increasingly unpopular war in Afghanistan, inseparably intertwined with Pakistan where Taliban fighters have so long been able to seek sanctuary, has baffled U.S. diplomats, politicians and military commanders for nine years.

First the good news: U.S. forces are still more popular in Afghanistan than Osama bin Laden. Fully 6 percent of respondents in a new poll expressed a “very favorable” opinion of American troops, versus just 2 percent for the fugitive Al Qaeda leader...But more than half of all Afghans — 55 percent — want U.S. forces out of their country, and the sooner the better.

A new television cop show has hit the airwaves in Afghanistan. Called Eagle Four, it tracks the fictional adventures of an elite police unit that chases terrorists, kidnappers and smugglers in the midst of a war zone. Loosely inspired by American TV thrillers such as 24, the show has plenty of cartoonish action, but the people behind it, including financial support from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, are hoping it also conveys a message.