Support for insurgents is heavily tied to ethnicity.
The insurgents are predominantly Pashtun and enjoy more support in areas where Pashtuns live, namely, the south and east. They find little favor with other ethnic groups. Some rural Pashtuns view the insurgents – especially the Taliban – as the lesser of two evils when compared with the Afghan government.
"One of the most important things to an Afghan, especially in the context of the last 30 years of open warfare, is personal security," said DuPee. "The central government and to a degree NATO/Coalition forces have failed in this regard. The Taliban, in the view of ordinary Pashtuns, is the only entity able to impose law and order."
