In Iraq, General David Petraeus, the former commander of US forces, was praised for bringing Sunni tribal leaders into the fight against al-Qaeda.
As the head of Central Command, Petraeus is going to oversee a similar policy in Afghanistan.
In the province of Paktia the local government has been given $2m by the US to support the tribal groups battle the Taliban.
Al Jazeera’s Qais Azimiy reports.