Still, there are signs of progress. A year ago, the Uzbeen Valley, about 30 miles northeast of Kabul, was entirely in Taliban hands.
Now the Foreign Legion holds two-thirds of the valley, overseeing about half of Uzbeen’s population of 25.000. Rocco, the outpost they established in August, has been directly attacked only once.
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The French estimate they’ve killed or wounded at least a dozen insurgents during the small-scale clashes they’ve had in recent weeks. But killing the Taliban isn’t as important as sidelining them, Durieux says. His goal in the months ahead is to peel off local, part-time fighters from the hard-line Taliban.
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‘It’s all a question of social pressure, we’re there until villagers get the insurgents to quit or leave’, said Durieux, adding his troops are willing to offer amnesty and protection to small-timers who renounce violence.”

http://www.montereyherald.com/news/ci_13753086?nc…

“To that end, French NATO forces, steeped in counterinsurgency, say they are treating sick children rather than bombing Taliban positions and focusing on intelligence-gathering rather than major ground offensives.
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The French example could serve as a test case for that strategy.
’Let’s not gloat about a so-called ‘French touch,’ ’ said Col. Benoit Durieux, the commander of the elite Foreign Legion battalion overseeing the Surobi area east of Kabul, where nearly a third of the 3.000 French troops in Afghanistan are stationed.
Success can be fleeting in counterinsurgency warfare, and if the French leave, the Taliban could return.
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(Continued)