American Lt. Col. Peter N. Benchoff says he is well aware of the hurdles his troops face as they prepare for an assault on the birthplace of the Taliban in Afghanistan. He said security "sucks" and the area of Zhari just west of Kandahar is bereft of government aid. This is where Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar ran an Islamic school in which he founded the movement in 1994. Senior commanders call the fight for Zhari the next step of a wider campaign to pacify Kandahar, the country's second largest city, and surrounding countryside. Militarily, Benchoff says he needs to seize the village of Singesar, site of Mullah Omar's school now defended by fortified trenches, mortars and mines. The campaign begins in September.