“The top coalition commander in Afghanistan told USA TODAY on Wednesday that he has ordered a “surge” in efforts to get Taliban fighters to renounce violence and return to village life based on recent intelligence suggesting they feel abandoned by their leaders.

Marine Gen. John Allen said the effort aims to quickly capitalize on plunging morale among insurgents in southern Afghanistan, once the backbone of the Taliban movement, and to lure militants back to their homes with jobs and other incentives.

“Now is the moment,” Allen said in an interview from Kabul.

Success on the battlefield is an important component of persuading fighters to lay down their arms and rejoin society, commanders say.

“Nobody reintegrates to the losing side,” said Marine Gen. James Mattis, commander of Central Command, which oversees operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. “That’s just not human nature.”

http://www.usatoday.com/news/usaedition/2011-09-01-afghanistan_st_u.htm?csp=obinsite