Stopping for some watermelon on the road.
Kabul, Karzai, and the Refugee Council
A new job. The same blog.
10 November 2010
05 October 2010
Samangan Shelter Response
The Way to Samangan
12 September 2010
From DC to Kabul
07 September 2010
A Friend on NPR
A short NPR clip on Afghan expats returning to help rebuild Afghanistan. Weis Sherdel, a friend from Georgetown, was interviewed for the story.
05 September 2010
The Lion of Panjshir
We are four days away from the anniversary of the assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud, one of Afghanistan's greatest national heroes. Massoud, also known as the Lion of Panjshir, was a graduate of Kabul University who formed what would later be referred to as the "Northern Alliance" and became one of the leading figures in the Soviet-Afghan War. He also helped to form the short-lived coalition government of Mujahiddin leaders that was ousted by the Taliban in 1996. During the Taliban regime, which controlled the most of the country from 1996-2001, Massoud continued his resistance and, against all odds, never ceded control of his ethnic homeland in the Panjshir Valley. In what is generally seen as al-Qaeda's setup to the September 11 hijackings, Massoud was murdered by al-Qaeda operatives on September 9, 2001.
What makes Massoud's story so interesting is that he was more than just a successful commander. In addition to being considered one of the brightest tactical minds in modern times and a national hero, Massoud was a moderate Muslim, devout reader, poet, and philosopher. The anniversary of his death is now a national holiday.
The picture above is of a billboard in the center of Mazar commemorating Massoud's life.
28 August 2010
Horses
Yesterday I visited a horse stable in Mazar. The horses were being kept for use in "Buzkashai." It's a traditional and dangerous Central Asian sport in which men on horseback fight over a goat carcass and attempt to carry it over a goal line. The owner of the horses told me that when they are successful in a match one horse could earn him five or ten thousand dollars. The kid in the pictures worked at the stable. He was cool.
27 August 2010
The Blue Mosque
Today is my last day in Mazar-e-Sharif so I went into town to see the Blue Mosque. It's one of the most famous structures in the country and contains what many Muslims believe to be the tomb of Hazrat Ali, the Prophet Mohammad's son-in-law and one of the most important figures in Islamic history. After Ali was killed in present-day Iraq in 661AD, his followers transported the body to Mazar to prevent his enemies from desecrating the remains. Here are some pictures:
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