Last updated: 6 april, 2010 - 12:20 GMT
Kandahar: the heartland of the Afghan insurgency
Kandahar has strategic importance for both the Taliban and international forces
Nato's next major offensive in Afghanistan will focus on Kandahar.
The Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, and the US commander of international forces, Stanley McChrystal, have been on a rare visit to the city, which is the spiritual home of the Taliban and the heartland of the insurgency.
The BBC's Lyse Doucet was with them on the trip.
The last time she was in Kandahar with President Karzai, in 2002, there was an attempt on his life. This time was rather different.
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The ability to control the region may depend less on military might and more on the ability to negotiate with strong men, including the president's controversial half-brother, Wali Karzai.
Lyse Doucet met the man known to some as the 'King of Kandahar'.
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First broadcast 5 April 2010
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