Niaz Mohammad Sarahadi, governor of Zhari district, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan urges a crowd of men near the village of Ashoque to cooperate with NATO and Afghan troops in the fight against the Taliban. U.S. and Canadian soldiers have built a series of small outposts in Zhari and other districts west of Kandahar, in an effort to improve security in the city and stem the worsening insurgency. But it remains far from clear how the fight will turn out in Zhari and other nearby districts which are traditional Taliban strongholds. Nov. 23, 2009. DREW BROWN/STARS AND STRIPES