Truly a success story?

Few days ago a friend of mine has drawn my attention towards an article published in the Washington post recently, talking about the success of the American success story in Khost, a province south of Kabul, on the border to Pakistan. The article, written by Richard Holbrooke, a former Ambassador to the United Nations, starts with the following paragraph:

"KHOST, Afghanistan -- This former Taliban stronghold, where Osama bin Laden spent time planning the Sept. 11 attacks, has become an American success story. The Taliban is being pushed out, and a government presence is extending into previously hostile territory. At NATO headquarters in Kabul, most of Khost has been moved out of the "red" column -- at least for now"

The article continues elaborating on the warfare tactic applied by US troops to win the hearts and the minds of the people of Khost, and concludes that more such success stories will be seen accross Afghanistan once additional Nato troops arrive in the country.

Personally, I am slightly astonished by the article. As the organization I am working for is having interventions in Khost, I know a bit about the difficulties and insecurity that prevails parts of this province, to an extend that it would be worth reconsidering keeping our people down there. Two district offices of non governmental organizations, in charge of facilitating the implementation of the NSP (National Solidarity Program, the flagship program of the Afghanistan Government, aiming at setting up community development councils in villages all accross Afghanistan), have been burned down. Staff members working on the NSP program receive threatening letters because of their support for a government program; in the same week, one school has attacked and one burned down and three guards kidnapped, besides numerous other incidents. The picture that other sources paint of Khost is a slightly different one from Richard Holbrookes glamouros depiction of the success story Khost. As written in a weekly report, "Khost continues to be volatile with most AOG activity centered in Khost Matun and Sabari Districts. For the last six months most attacks have targeted security forces, however, recent incidents and the attacks on the NSP program indicate that AOG may be beginning a campaign against humanitarian projects in the area. NGOs should consider that their acceptance has been generally compromised in these areas, especially those involved in implementing government related programs"

So, how can it be a success to "conquere" a province with foreign troops, while the government of Afghanistan is enjoying hardly any support? How sustainable can that be?