Infrastructure Versus Taliban

"They are looking to a provincial reconstruction team to turn the tide. The team, made up of U.S. service members and civilians, is planning to build a road through the most dangerous part of Kunar - the Korengal Valley."

"'[Omar is] just the next big population center up the valley,' Navy Cmdr. Larry LeGree says. 'I just want to get my eyes on how this road will go through here.'"

"The road he is talking about will be humble, by American standards. It will cost $11 million, and will be about 18 feet wide and 26 miles long. But LeGree, who heads Kunar's provincial reconstruction team, says this road could do more to harm the Taliban here than any military action."

"'We're not necessarily looking to build fast. We're looking to make an economic impact,' LeGree explained earlier from his office at the provincial reconstruction team headquarters. 'So, what we are looking to do is provide a lot of employment - and it lines the incentives for what we are looking for, which is a fighting-age male holding a shovel instead of a gun.'"

"Work on the road begins next month. It will take more than a year to complete and will provide hundreds of jobs for Kunar's largely unemployed population."