The prominent place of religious leaders and institutions in Afghanistan calls for increased attention through American chaplains, especially Muslim chaplains, as well as religious leader engagement programs. The need for religious engagement is not exclusive to Afghanistan but could be beneficial worldwide. Enemies to America and the Afghan government speak a language shrouded in religious mysticism that armed might cannot fully neutralize. America must realize that its reach is temporary, and its foreign policy must reflect that longstanding issues will have to be solved by players who are accepted locally and who traffic in the language the population trusts and relates to. No amount of understanding outsiders bring into societies compensates for ignorance of what truly motivates host populations