Commander Ghosadeen, who leads about two dozen men of a village militia, holds a pistol as he talks to U.S. and Canadian soldiers outside Zhormashor, in Dand district, near Kandahar, Afghanistan. With U.S. and Afghan forces unable to reach many rural areas, they are relying increasingly on village militias to arm and protect themselves against the Taliban. June 27, 2010. DREW BROWN/STARS AND STRIPES