Muslim troops help win Afghan minds

This is a fascinating story. While perhaps one might expect that some Arabs would see fit to help Afghanis, to see Arab soldiers serving next to US and UK troops is startling. Troops from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been delivering humanitarian aid to their fellow Muslims and, on occasion, fighting their way out of Taleban ambushes. Until now, their deployment has been kept so secret that not even their own countrymen knew they were here.

Little wonder. Political and social pressures make US troops seem the enemy. Misperception, propaganda, a heavy colonial hand, all play a role. Yet it remains true that Afghanistan is a battle ground -- as, in fact, it has been for centuries.

Soldiers from the United Arab Emirates, a confederation of Arabic states, are in Afghanistan flighting against the forces and the effects of the Taleban.

We try to convince the people about the US, about British. They came here to give you peace. UAE Maj Ghanem al-Mazroui