Tea 'is key weapon' against Taliban

Drinking chai - tea - is a key weapon in the fight against the insurgency in Afghanistan, a senior Army officer has said.

Major Nick Wight-Boycott who is a key member of strategic team in Afghanistan says, “I have spent much of the past six months building relationships with the Afghan police and local people. I felt that our social visits have paid off.”

The major says that earlier the police used to be ill-disciplined but now they are an effective force against the Taliban. Even locals who were used to complain of corruption now are coming forward with information about IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and the insurgency.

Major Nick who has been in charge of training and mentoring the police, laughs sitting in the police compound next door to Patrol Base Attal when he describes how he drinks chai with the new police commander, Lieutenant Hekmatullah.

According to him, "Sometimes the best operations are those where nothing happens. Now the insurgents know that your men are out at night and they will be scared of moving around,"

He said: "With the ANP (Afghan National Police) it's all about leadership and showing them the right example. If you take the time to work with them it provides dividends. The main thing is for Isaf to keep stepping back and the ANP to keep stepping forward.