http://paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=147302KABUL: The men were on a mission, looking for mullahs, schools and a nightclub called The Pink Flamingo.
The British soldiers walking through downtown Kabul were also a bit of a spectacle, wearing camouflage uniforms and carrying SA80 combat rifles, a scene previously rare in Afghanistan’s relatively secure capital.
"Do you know the nearest mosque?" Lt. Jim McMillan asked two Afghans, one holding a teakettle and the other wearing a Hard Rock Honolulu shirt. "Do you know where the senior man around here is?"
This foot patrol is part of an effort by the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, to get close to Afghans, to find out what community leaders want.
The daily patrols started about six weeks ago, when Lt. Gen. David Richards took over as commander of ISAF. They illustrate the "people-friendly" approach the NATO-led international force will take late next month when it takes over security for six troubled southern provinces from the U.S.-led coalition.