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In Afghanistan, Part One
(Part one of two) - Today, nearly eight years after the initial invasion of Afghanistan, the country remains unstable at best, and the U.S. is now pouring thousands of new troops into the country, joining the international coalition to combat the Taliban insurgency. This year, bomb attacks on coalition troops have reached an all-time high - at least 46 American troops killed by IEDs this year, part of the larger figure of 1,249 coalition deaths to date. On June 25th, U.S. officials announced the launch of Operation Khanjar - 4,000 U.S. Marines and hundreds of NATO and Afghan forces pushing into various parts of Helmand province attempting to secure the area ahead of Afghanistan's presidential election next month. Consider this entry a double-issue - there has been so much powerful photography coming out of Afghanistan the past few months, I had a very hard time editing down to just these, recent photographs from Afghanistan. (see part 2) (32 photos total)
Band-e-Amir is seen in this undated photo in Bamiyan province of Afghanistan. The cascading collection of deep-blue high-mountain lakes was dedicated as Afghanistan's first provisional national park Thursday June 18, 2009, as the violence-plagued nation took a big first step toward protecting one of its finest natural treasures. (AP Photo) #
In this photo taken Monday, June 22, 2009, U.S. Marines from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines stand guard along a wall in the village of Khwaja Jamal near their base near Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province. Three years after its residents fled, the once bustling town of Now Zad is the scene of a stalemate between U.S. Marines and Taliban insurgents. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder) #
Afghan police officers stand near blood stains following a suicide bomb attack in the city of Khost, east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, June 22 2009. A suicide bomber on a motorbike killed six civilians when he drove in front of the city's electric power headquarters and set off explosives. (AP Photo/Nishanuddin Khan) #
A U.S. Marine from 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, RCT 2nd Battalion 8th Marines Echo Co. wears a belt of ammunition around his neck on July 6, 2009 in Mian Poshteh, Afghanistan. The Marines are part of Operation Khanjari, which was launched to combat Taliban fighters using areas in the Southern Helmand Province as resupply routes, and to help the local Afghan population prepare for the upcoming presidential elections. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) #
In this photo taken Tuesday, June 16, 2009, pedal boats are seen anchored at a lake in Band-e-Amir, in the central Afghanistan's province of Bamiyan. The six azure lakes in Band-e-Amir are Afghanistan's first national park. In an attempt to return one small part of the country to normalcy government officials and international donors are promoting tourism to attract visitors to the Bamiyan area. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) #
Children view the body of a six-year-old Afghan boy, who was killed when a weapons cache exploded, on the outskirts of Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Nangarhar province east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, June 22, 2009. The explosion killed the boy in a nearby village and wounded 20 others, police said. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) #
In this photo taken Thursday, June 11, 2009, Lt. Michelle Smith, of Boise, Idaho, holds hands with 8-year-old Razia at Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, Afghanistan. Razia was evacuated to the hospital in May after she was severely burned when a white phosphorus round hit her home in the Tagab Valley, killing two of her sisters during fighting between French troops and Taliban militants. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) #
A worker pressure washes parts on a U.S. CH-47 Chinook helicopter on June 25, 2009 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The helicopter is part of the 3rd Battalion of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade which is providing air support for troops fighting Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) #
A de-miner of the Halo Trust, a British charity that specialize in the removal of land mines, looks at colleagues searching for mines in Bagram, north of Kabul, Afghanistan on June 10, 2009. Officials and experts fear that increased fighting and and a drop in international funding could prevent Afghanistan from meeting the goal of clear the country of mines by 2013. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan) #
Rescuers float down a river on innertubes as they search for survivors of two sunken boats, in Lal Pur district of Nangarhar province east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday, July 1, 2009. Several Afghans were killed when two boats sank while attempting to transfer groups of people from one side of the river to the other, police officials said. Over 10 people were rescued and approximately a dozen remain missing. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) #
The coffin of Rifleman Daniel Simpson is carried from an aircraft to a hearse during a repatriation ceremony at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, southern England July 14, 2009. The bodies of eight soldiers killed during the bloodiest 24-hours for British forces since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 were flown back home on Tuesday. (REUTERS/Ministry of Defence/Crown Copyright/Adrian Harlen) #
More links and information
In Afghanistan, Part Two - The Big Picture, 7/17
Warning From General on End to Afghan Combat - NYTimes.com, 7/15
Afghan DJs play tunes, break hearts in Taliban country - Reuters, 7/7
Afghanistan - NYTimes.com Topics page
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
why do we have to fight. We are all ONE.
If you are able, join the military and help out your brothers and sisters in arms who are working toward peace and stability in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many of you will regret not standing up years from now. Don't leave it up to others. You are an American and can do great things and fight in a great cause of your time.
Great pictures, but they do not explain anything. What are the coalition forces doing in Afghanistan? What exactly is their mission, what are the goals?
Unless you know the mission, you will never know if or when you fulfilled it - or you failed. Without a clear understanding of the mission this will drag along for years, maybe decades without anyone understanding why they are there and what goal they are working for.
STOP WAR
NO MORE FIGHT AGAINST HONEST PPL
b4 was russians now Americans and allies
what the world is waiting from those people facing years of war
how are they ? refering to their Health psychology
to the one who admires the beauty of the pics
not a happy moment to freeze in time
Great photos.
Hope our brave men and women come back safely.
As always, amazing photographs capturing the varied aspects of the subject. A quick note about photo 31: When British serviceman are killed abroad and repatriated, their bodies are driven through the town en-route to the Oxford Coroner.
The turnout in Wootton Bassett has been happening since the start of the war in Afghanistan and has taken place everytime the body of a serviceman has been returned from Afghanistan or Iraq. For more on this, see the BBC News article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8149051.stm
Great work.
Thanks
What was this war about again?
Incredible photos that show the beauty and danger in Afghanistan. View both part 1 and 2 photos.
To commenter #17:
#23 Where do the Taliban militants get the white phosphorus rounds from?
They don't. That girl was hit with munitions used by US or allied forces.
Some are beatiful photos and some are pain causing ones.War is not the solution, but many do not understand this.The sad reallity is that things will remain the same because there are too much people without conscience and without good heart. Is like a labyrinth without an exit. The ones that have the responsibility in its hands doesn't come to an agreement.
RE: #4 & 5. Why are you licensing photos from Reuters/Stringer that clearly demonstrate cooperation with the Taliban (aka THE ENEMY)?
Wonderful--help me to visualize another world that can seem too far away. All of those children deserve peace.
Horrific! I am glad these images are available. We should see more in main stream media.
Afghanistan has always been a crossroad nation. A place to get through when going someplace else. Before 9/11/01, when the Taliban took control, cultural advances stopped there as evidenced by the religious fanaticism, destruction of respected sculptures, restrictions of freedoms of speech and suppression of women. The Taliban aided and abetted al Qaeda terrorist who carried out deadly actions against American citizens. The US, aided by anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan, rightfully carried out military operations to overthrow the Taliban and to capture or kill the al Qaeda terrorists.
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
John Stuart Mill
Ami go HOME !!!
Thanks for these impressing photo's. Great job
Leave Afghanistan. NOW!
Wow... amazing pictures! Thanks!
This is the most I I have seen of the war in Afghanistan, amazing pictures really. They should do some TV special with you.
The Photographs here seem to say everything!
These are some of the most compelling pictures I have ever seen. You guys to a great job!
Post 13:
If only it were that simple. Human nature being what it is, there will regrettably always be conflict, and always a need for armies. In the face of terror, injustice, the abuse of power, or in time of major natural disaster, soldiers are called to to deal these situations, so that others may have the choice not to.
Just as with Iraq, only time will tell if our fighting in Afghanistan is for the best. No people should be controlled by a single group of tyrants.
War is not usually the answer, but sometimes it's the only way.
The pic of the little girl in #14 is the most touching. Being a parent of a small girl myself, I worry about what this little girl will end up becoming in 15-20 years time if she lives that long.
What a hell is going on....
How many children should die from NATO bombs that u will realise the fact that your policy in this country failed...
Dont feel sorry about the soldjers how died there...feel sorry about the afgan children, who died from YOUR bullets and bombs !
Greeting from Russia !
Michael.
Thank you for remembering me what happens in Afghanistan. Flash news about this war make me insensitive: pictures hit the point more than numbers or words.
#27, find heroine?
The men and women who give their lives to protect us each day are the reason we go about our daily activities. We could live in the same horrible fear the people of Afghanistan do, or the unknown of never coming home alive our troops face each day. We forget how important our military troops are to this country until theres a disaster...We lay blame because we do not understand....no one wants war but it has become necessary because not all people want peace...some will do anything to gain power. If we fail to support our troops who protect our country then we loose our ability to have freedom...it is a choice our troops enlist today...one day it could become a lottery....Support those who love us most, with their lives~
As a service member who served for 15 months in that amazing country thank you the pictures speak volumes that the media seems to be missing or choose to miss...
The human face of Afghanistan is one rooted in decades of struggle and laced with compassion and brilliance. I truly enjoyed my chance to interact with a culture so unique and different from ours.
Really show the contrast of the beauty of rough nature and the horrors of an unnecessary war.
NATO (and my country, as part of the Aliance) didn't got the lessons from Afghan-USSR war back in 80's. So the price is heavy... Both for the soldiers and the civilians.
wow this pictures are not only touching but carried a very good photography skill!!
Besides that the photographers are amazingly skillfull in catching the feeling from the situation and also every characters of the people and objects...amazing amazing..
#4 Mosin Nagant
I love these pictures. The character of the country really shines through. I hope the Afghani people can have peace in my lifetime, it's a country I would love to visit.
Antiwar slobs need to be quiet. Without it, the Afghani people would still be oppressed.
Support the troops.
White phosphorus is a war crime. Oh well, so is torture. We are doomed.
Post #26 Marc B, Maybe they are guarding poppy plantations? =) Formulation of drugs in Afghanistan has increased several times since the occupation coalition. This is a fact.
Post #57
@Bulgarian That lesson? USSR, when it was strong, quite successfully carried out its policy objectives in Afghanistan -- fighting the losses were minimal. This is politics and nothing more. It is not cynical it may sound. The U.S. pursues its interests in Afghanistan, at the same time supplying drugs across Europe. = ) And the politicians and generals to spit on the people living there, while people in the United States and Britain suffered combat losses and do not like the rallies.
Post #63
@Ned Flanders: Well, i agree it's all about politics, but neither USSR, nor USA (resp NATO) can win a war out there... It's like using a tank to kill a fly - finaly you got a lot of holes and the fly still buzzin'. The regime in Bulgaria 'till 1989 also sold drugs and was part of the East-West roads of the heroin. And, don't forget - USA/NATO troops are professionals, but Russian soldiers were conscripts.
The question is a lot of people died there (including Bulgarians - some friends of mine) just for politics. And this will go on. And it's not for "democracy", "human rights" and something like this, it's all about drugs...
I agree with luca post#6 that is an awesome bike!!!
Steven (#13), you poor fool. Yes war is terrible, but to intentionally set out to weaken the military standing of your own country is treasonous. When the powers of evil an death begin to undermine the US, as they have in several European countries by demanding that their religious laws replace existing civil laws, don't you dare cry for salvation from the non existent military you enticed others to not support. Maybe you should move to one of those middle eastern countries, and start demanding YOUR rights. You will probably lose your head.
#23 "...white phosphorus round hit...." I wonder who is using the phosporus, the French/US or the Taliban...
how much hatred towards the "west" must these kids bear while they grow up.
I think #26 is in bad taste .... its too personal ... who would want to see their child like this the if they maybe died after the pic was taken? ...
Impressing photo's. Great job!
goooooooooooddddddddddddd
I just returned stateside from Afghanistan. Many of the comments left by the viewers of this site a uninformed and serve no other purpose other than plain rhetoric. Think before you comment, please.
#4 - Notice the shoes of the fighters? It is likely this men are not Taliban but are rather foreign fighters from Pakistan or the Gulf states. Most of the Taliban are indigenous fighters coming from their strongholds in and around Kandahar.
#23 - The insurgent/guerilla (or whatever other term you like) fighters have access to a number of artillery shells left over from the Soviet occupation (and the ISI supply lines). The U.S. was not the only country to use W.P. artillery rounds.
#25-26 - Any status on the translator or the soldier???
@40:
That quote is short sighted. There are ways to fight and protect yourself without war.
realy good!!!!
Very, very impressive photgraphes...
Absolut Amazing Photos
These pictures remind me how good my life in Germany is and how insignificant my "problems" are compared to what other People on the World.
it's funny how there are so many people (USA people) that think that their freedom is being protected by having the army everywhere; irak, afghanistan... your freedom is at risk because of that precisely. who armed irak? who armed the taliban? who creates hatred all around? who began this paranoid self-fed obsession with the war against "evil"/muslims?? there are fundamentalists in every country, religious as well as political.
the taliban are as bad as USA's foreign policy, the damage they both do is huge.
is the USA fighting for freedom for everyone? human rights freedom? or is it fighting to save it's own unsustainable - energy/resource devouring - lifestyle?? it's really sad to see so many people believing that the world is so simple: "good vs. evil".
The world was not like this before.
Peace to the world....
we only have one earth
do not harm Mother Nature
live wisely, stay happy and be at ease with fellow beings
be passionate and considerate to others
I really don't know why some prefer things to be like this ...
Beautiful collection. Something about the pile of shoes in #11 is so disturbing.
For those of you criticizing "what is this war about?" if for no other reason than to rid the Afghans of the Talbin, murderers who stone women to death and hack off the hands of people in front of their eyes and the eyes of their children. When I was there I saw a girl about 10 who was bleeding out because her arms had been hacked off at the elbows by Taliban a few hours before. I don't know why but it doesn't matter. She wasn't "Coalition" or "an infidel" or "an American collaborator". The Taliban are pure evil. If you don't think that's worth fighting against then you need to crawl back under a rock with the rest of the worms.
I like #17 a lot. It's good to be reminded of the fact that not all who are sent away to fight are brash warmongers who want nothing to do with the lands in which they find themselves, or the people who live there. To see this marine reading a book set in Afghanistan, written by an Afghan author, suggests that he is trying to *understand* rather than simply kill the enemy and hold territory. A heartening scene.
No civilian ever want to have war. Wars are created by people who profit from it. Damn those people. Never knew Afghan have such a nice place from #2. Not only civilian are suffering. Soldier are suffering too as they can't refuse order by their commander to go for this war. I use to be a regular soldier myself but luckily there is no conflict in our regent.
#76, who armed the Taliban? Leftover russian weapons, tribal gunsmiths, and Pakistan. Who armed Iraq - Russian weapons mostly, with some support provided by the US during the Iraq-Iran war.
Why are we in Afghanistan? A couple of reasons. Under Taliban rule they provided a base of operations for Al-Qaeda, allowing them to recruit, train, and use the country as their headquarters for operations around the world. After 9/11, the Taliban refused to move against them.
In addition to their support of Jihadists, the Taliban are also downright horrifying in their brutal oppression of the people of Afghanistan and the atrocities they commit. They rape, loot, butcher, treat women as less than property, burn down schools, pour acid onto children for trying to get an education, regularly conduct bombings of innocents, deliberately set up civilians as human shields, and buy and sell children for use as suicide bombers. Thats just a brief little rundown of some of the stuff they do, and though we lack the resources (and more importantly, the will) to aid all the countries of the world who need it, the Taliban's support of Al-Qaeda has offered us the opportunity to liberate the country, establish a new government, and set up a secure and stable environment for development to occur, in the hopes that one day the people there will be able to enjoy even a fraction of the peace and prosperity that people here in the west take for granted each and every day.
I just finished reading a very personal, real-life account of the War on Terror - in a book that chronicles a soldier's year in Afghanistan. It's titled: AFGHAN JOURNAL: A SOLDIER'S YEAR IN AFGHANISTAN.
See for yourself - read an excerpt at the author's website:
http://www.afghanistan-journal.com.
It's a realistic mosaic of insights and impressions that address all dimensions of a soldier's experience - mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and cultural. This should be required reading for those of us in the US who tend to dismiss Afghanistan as some sort of remote "irritant" that'ss best relegated to academic debate.
Now that violence and terror in that region are escalating again, this book is an important reality check for any of us in the West who assume that terrorism isn't "relevant" to our everyday lives.
Post #84 Good tales about Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Consult the Operation Northwoods, planned by the U.S. Government against Kuba and have similar. =)
Didn't like?
One can recall the events in Hawaii -- Pearl Harbor.
In fact the U.S. used the same tactics that would join the WWII against Japan.
And also occupied by Japan. What seems the Japanese are still grateful. =)
"Global terrorism" is a pretext for the occupation of states. Any terrorist activity requires a great deal of funding. From there the money from terrorists? Why the CIA US is not struggling with the financing of terrorists, but instead to occupy other people's countries, rich in oil?
Interesting questions. =)
looking for army 2nd, BN 1st Infantry, 1st Platoon Pics or contacts
Kandahar, Afagan
God bless and protect all our military men and women
Crazy Amarica crazy Taliben innocent civilian,
la mort de tous ces soldats amŽricains et franais me semble disproportionnŽe pour les raisons que l'on veut bien invoquer pour justifier cette guerre,, un pays sans pŽtrole,ou il n'y a que des cailloux ,cette guerre a d'autres raisons que l'on ne souhaite pas nous dire. La faon dont nous faisons cette guerre est dŽpassŽe et inefficace, car rien ne permet d'en prŽvoir la fin. Autant enfermer les terroristes dans l'afghanistan plut™t que de perdre son temps et nos hommes ˆ les poursuivre et ˆ chercher vainement a sŽparer les bons afghans des mauvais.Mais on ne nous dit pas tout.Ces photos sont un remake de tout ce que nous avons dŽjˆ vu pour l'AlgŽrie, l'Indochine,l'Irak et le Vietnam. HŽlas pour nous et pour eux.
Most of Afghanistan has no opium - only Helmand Province does. ISAF forces are fighting the Taliban in Helmand over opium right now. Ironically when the Taliban were in power, they outlawed opium because narcotics are against Islam. Now, they tax it, funding their military operations. This shows how hypocritical they are.
The West gets a majority of its heroin from Afghan sources. Opium trade is huge, and the Taliban profits from it. Not only is heroin ruining lives in Europe and America, it is ruining lives in Afghanistan as well.
I spent a year in Afghanistan and fought the Taliban. They are like the Mafia - not the least concerned about the lives of other Afghans.
I
whats your camera modela man?
Thank you for posting these.
Beautiful collection.
#14 is excellent! Good job.
I am a German student and usually should lern for my exams now. But this morning i was looking TV and there was a report about US Marines, who blog their experiences during the war, so I was looking for one.
This photos changed my view on the war. I knew that it is brutal, but it makes your heart cry if you see pictures like No.23!
I wish all millitary troops acting in actual wars all the very best! May they make the world a bit better and hopefully come back healthy!
Nicolaj
nice
the pic No.14 is Fascinating , it's an innocent Girl who wants to stop to kill his father or i dont know her Mother ... it shocks me !
Hasn't enough murder and devastation been done already?! Bring the f*cking troops back home NOW!
I, literally, stumbled upon these photos. Thank You. These photos have made the Afghan war so much more real. They are heart-wrenching & thought provoking. I have seen nothing like this presented on CNN. The average American has no idea what this war is doing, what is happening & the cost to lives on all fronts. Peace be with those who have lost loved ones, peace be with those who face the cruelty of war & Peace to bring an end to all wars.
What the hell are we trying to achieve in that place - leave it to the afghans!
Amazing series. Thanks for sharing.
picture 14 really touches me, the kids have no idea why the conflict goes on, but she smiled to the camera, an Innocent children trapped in the chaos. I wish them peace :-)
i personelly feel like that the troops and all the civilian contrators need to leave Iraq and afghanistan,,,our tax dollars are being wasted away over there,,i support our troops one hundred percent and my hats off to them,,,but were fighting a war that will always continue even after your kids and there kids are gone,bring back the money over here in america and create jobs,,,you wouldnt believe in how much money is being wasted over there,,,they have a durmo over there that has thousands upon thousands equipment that has just been throwed away,,,so there goes our tax dollars again down the drain,,,,,,this is just my opinion,,,God bless
I agree with the post that #25 made ( All that is needed for evil to prevail is for good men to say nothing.) Freedom is not a house unto itself , as long as people struggle to be free it should not be a action, with out support either in all farms or as simple as TEAR DOWN THIS WALL
Apenas uma pergunta. Por que pessoas fazem isso com outras pessoas?
Nice pictures!
The pictures are beautiful, yet some are so heartbreaking.
Absolutely amazing pictures. Every American needs to see these; it brings the war up close and personal.
WHERE ARE THE STARS???
We Americans can watch the news, but and can hear of the pain our soldiers and the innocents (especially) children endure. Thank you for showing in full color what trauma really is. Thank you to all the soldiers and volunteers who have put their lives on hold to go help,save, and train strangers that they may have just a little of what we, as Americans have. Many Americans take for granted our freedom, money, housing, running water, and not having to worry about being blown up walking into the store. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you all for making this real. I pray daily for all of you and May God continue to be with you in your work. You are all my heros! I love you all.
We Need to stay in Afghanistan as long as it takes. And I would be not shocked if US lead coalition would get involved in Pakistan, which gave a safe heaven to Taliban, who ironically have a lot of sympathizers among Pakistani Army. And the fight between Pakistani Army against the Taliban is a one big joke. Do not anyone forget that Pakistan is a Nuclear Power. Imagine Taliban taking the power in Pakistan..Far fetched ? I do not think so. The stakes are way to high to ignore this possible scenario.
The Photos as always are very good....My Hat goes down to all the Photographers and their crews
20 & 23 is so sad. I things could change for the better.
This so called "war on terror" is just a pseudonym. Its a war of ideologies. It is Secularism versus Islam. Secularism is dominant at the moment. Its defenders are aware of the Islamic Awakening and see a great threat to their power. So the goal is to deny an Islamic Caliphate. Because were a real Islamic Caliphate to emerge and rid the muslim world of the evil puppet dictators who have disparaged Islam, then the light of Islam would be manifest and the darkness and oppression of secularism will be rejected the world over. All the problems humanity is facing have been created by Secularism. Only Islam offers solutions to all these problems. Islam is the way of life that God has prescribed for us.
For those of us with age, we have looked at the same pictures just at a different time and place, it does not make it easier, it does not lessen the emotion and it does not lessen the impact to the country and for those who serve us all so well without question.
36. RE: #4 & 5. Why are you licensing photos from Reuters/Stringer that clearly demonstrate cooperation with the Taliban (aka THE ENEMY)?
Posted by slavvy July 18, 09 04:10 PM
So that those of us out of harms way can have a face to put to the words we hear when ours sons and daughters, husbands and wives, tell us of the enemy that was shooting at them, less than ten feet away, that even when shot, wouldn't put down his rifle and had to be executed on the spot.
Since ancient times, human beings have never been in peace and, unfortunately, they´ll never will. There will always be conflicts and "reasons" to be at war in one place or another, and our generations are just as frustrated as all others were in the past.
We will all have diversed opinions about major dilemmas and hope for a better world, but I believe we should also focus our enthusiasm on smaller issues, on problems that we can actually take a closer look and take care of them ourselves. We will all feel much better by being able to actually help others, than just giving our strong opinions on difficult matters like this devastating war that we are now seeing through very thouching images.
Geopolitics aside,do the US and their allies have a moral mandate to be in Afghanistan?Are their parallels between the expansion of Hitler and his anti-semetic views and the growth of the Taliban and their ideology?We,as individuals take ethical points of view everyday and act upon them,should governments?If we agree that the Taliban are bad for Afghanistan and the region as a whole,then do we just sit around playing sitars and smoking bongs or do we do something about what we think is wrong?
Wow, I worked with some of those Afghan soldiers in the pictures when I was deployed in Afghanistan as a member of a embedded training team in 2004-2005.
Re: #17 - the Marine reading at Camp Leatherneck...
If that picture touched you, consider joining Books for Soldiers and sending along more books to troops deployed all over Afghanistan and elsewhere. You select what requests you want to answer, then mail the books directly to the troops who requested them, no middleman. All branches of service are represented.
For more information, visit www.booksforsoldiers.com
(Deployed troops can also request books on the website, or family members may submit requests for them.)
--Julie
Volunteer Site Admin
Books for Soldiers - "Care Packages for the Mind"
War...what is it good for? Absolutely Nothing!
i don't watch TV news anymore.Here in New Zealand its just a step up from reality TV.The Boston Big Picture series is now my default news source.Keep up the good work.
The americans are not the only ones in Afghanistan, there are so many Afghans who didn't want the British, the Russians, The Taliban, the others.... They need our support but which is the right way? War will never be won, will Peace ever be won? Perhaps we should mention our children, courageous as they are who go to Afghanistan and other countries to help the people find economic solutions (NGO's), probably when everyone has food and water, education and streets that they can walk down without being blown up or shot it will mean that economically we have helped them. Thanks to all who are brave enough to go and help.
Mankind can't life without war, it's so sad. Thanks for the pictures, they are great documents of human being.
i feel bad that people got killed and saved our lives and fight for us..