ZANGABAD, Afghanistan - Mohammed Naeem sat crossed-legged on the sun-baked mud slab that is his front yard on Friday and spoke for many of his neighbours about his expectations now that Canadian troops have declared it safe for him to return to his farm in southern Afghanistan.
"We are expecting them to help,'' said the 37-year-old farmer, whose deeply lined face and worn expression made him look twice his age.
"Until now we haven't seen anything, but they promised,'' Naeem said impatiently. "That's why I'm shouting.''
Throughout the last couple of days, whether by pickup truck, donkey cart, farm tractor, motorcycle, or even by foot, more than 400 families displaced by fierce fighting in the Panjwaii district last fall have begun to trickle back into their shattered, desolate communities.
Kandahar's governor announced last week that people displaced by fighting during the Canadian-led Operation Medusa could begin returning home.
Most started to arrive Thursday and Friday with their meagre possessions and even livestock strapped to the backs or roofs of their vehicles. Many, who've been away for several weeks, arrived to find their homes levelled by artillery fire or holed by tank shot.
After the Taliban were driven out of the town of Panjwaii last fall, hundreds of militants fled south towards Pakistan through the tiny hamlets of Zangabar, Sperwan and Musa Kala, where they were intercepted by NATO special forces and Afghan army units. The result was some of the bloodiest fighting and heaviest civilian casualties of the campaign.
The Canadian provincial reconstruction team, based 40 kilometres away in Kandahar City, has promised relief and help in rebuilding this tiny dust-caked village.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government recently committed $10 million in food aid and material supplies to help refugees, most of whom were affected by Operation Medusa. USAID, an American agency, has promised shelter supplies and the Canadian army has put forward two sea containers of reconstruction material, including paint, buckets and wheelbarrows.
To date, the only thing that has been delivered are the sea containers of building supplies.
Refugees, some staying with relatives whose houses are still intact, have gathered along the roadside for the last two days, waiting for some kind of news on basic necessities.
"We didn't receive any food items,'' Abdul Hai, a village elder, said through a translator.
"What we're looking for nowadays is tents and food items. Most of our homes are damaged and destroyed, so we're looking for tents, which are very important, especially for women because they can't sit with the other people.''
At this point in time, Hai said people are not unhappy, describing the assistance they've received as "satisfactory, but we need more.'' The Afghan government has provided cash payments for transportation so people can get back to their property.
But getting food and shelter into the hands of hungry and cold people is waiting for appointed village elders to compile lists of families in the area. Afghan authorities have been given the authority to decide who gets aid.
"When we get the list we will continue to supply the items,'' said Col. Mohammed Rasul.
Naeem, whose 60 relatives, including seven brothers, are crammed into his mud-walled compound, viewed the assurances with a measure of cynicism.
"We are still looking when they are going to provide assistance and where,'' he said, also through a translator after reclaiming his looted house almost a week ago.
"Until now we haven't seen anything they promised. Our elders, who are selected by government; they usually embezzle the money and take the item whatever is distributed, illegally.''
Canadian military commanders say there's only so much they can do, given that NATO has been invited into the country.
"It's better to have the elders handle this rather than have guys in uniforms giving handouts,'' said Capt. Dave Muralt, a spokesman for the provincial reconstruction team.
Even with the concerns, all of the villagers who agreed to speak said they were happy to be home and glad to be rid of the Taliban, including Abdul Kaim, 65, who resented having the war brought to his straw-covered doorstep.
"Mostly civilians were affected by the bombardment,'' Kaim said shortly after unloading four sheep, three chickens, a rooster and other household essentials from a borrowed pickup truck.
"The Taliban were just like devils. They stay hiding at one (civilian) home for an hour and then just go to another.''
In background briefings, Canadian military commanders insist that conditions throughout the former battlefield are improving for civilians.
Their optimism is reflected in the relatively peaceful vibe coming from communities throughout the Arghandab River valley. Once boarded up shops in Panjwaii have reopened, selling fruit, vegetables and other goods.
Sheep and camel can be seen in fields, where some farmers have begun readying the hard ground for another growing season.
