Afghans learn "American" to work for Americans

Afghan men, hungry for work, learn how to respond to Americans

5:27 AM, Mar 29, 2011 | by Tony Leys

Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan – The bearded teacher stood in front of his 20 pupils, going through basic English questions and commands that they should understand if they’re working for the Americans here.

“What does ‘Do not enter’ mean?” the teacher, whose name is Ahmadullah, asked one of the local men seated before him.

Teacher Ahmadullah, standing at left, leads a basic English class for workers at Bagram Airfield Tuesday. (Rodney White/The Register)

“You cannot go inside,” the man replied in heavily accented English.

“If you are stopped at a roadblock and told to get out immediately, what do you do?” Ahmadullah asked another man.

“I turn back,” the man replied.

The teacher corrected him. “You get out immediately,” he said.

Ahmadullah asked a third man to stand. Then he said, “Put your hands on your head.” The man put his hands on his head. “Turn around.” The man turned around. “Get on the ground.” The man got on the ground, face down.

Staff Sgt. Paul Brisbois, an Iowa National Guardsman from Des Moines, watched from off to the side. “That’s a really important one to know,” he said of the set of commands American soldiers give when they want to search an Afghan man...

Interesting article. Go read the rest here.