The gist of the offensive seems to be to establish a US foothold in the area and move the district into the central government's sphere of authority. The problem is that the local population wants nothing to do with it. As the district governor says, "People here are on the side of the insurgency and have no trust in the government. Insurgents are in their villages 24 hours." [Quoted in the WSJ.]
To get a flavor of the atmosphere, read what Lt. Col Reik Anderson, a battalion commander, has to say. "Villagers were just livid with me. Because so much lethality was going on, they said that the kids are crying, the women are scared" whenever helicopters appear. [Quoted in the WSJ.]
The people in these villages have lived a certain way for hundreds of years. To say the least, their ways are settled. Now the US comes along and intends to set up a whole different way of life with western-oriented hospitals and schools, etc. It is natural that the villagers would be distrustful of this change, especially when it is not understood, and especially when it is imposed by military force.
Can the US prevail? Well, the American forces have dubbed Pashmul, a cluster of villages west of Kandahar city as "the heart of darkness." That kind of lack of respect for a culture that has existed longer than the US is easily spotted by the villagers. Their resistance cannot be broken simply because they have no use for a country and culture that lords it over them and insists that the villagers' way of life is no good.
Anyone who has lived through the Vietnam war will recognize the US verbiage and tactics being used here. The Vietnamese didn't appreciate it too much, and neither will the Afghans.
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