Herat, Afghanistan- More than a week has passed since a United States bombardment killed civilians in western Afghanistan, but the battle between coalition forces and the Taliban has only intensified on another front: public relations.
Afghanistan is in an uproar following U.S. airstrikes that may have killed more than 100 civilians in the western part of the country. Reports from Farah province said that on Thursday a mob of several hundred protesters chanted anti-American slogans and threw rocks outside at provincial governor's office before being disbursed by police gunfire. In Kabul, outraged lawmakers called for new laws to clamp down on foreign military operations. Ahead of talks with President Obama in Washington, Afghan President Hamid Karzai bluntly said the deaths were "unjustifiable and unacceptable."
When Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office recently said it was holding peace talks with the Taliban, the Taliban countered with a press release. A spokesman for the militants dismissed Karzai's announcement as a propaganda ploy to suggest a schism within the Taliban's ranks. Not only was that not true, the press release that was subsequently sent to journalists announced the start of the Taliban's spring offensive, dubbed "Operation Victory." It was the latest exchange in a critical second front in the Afghan war — a war of words that U.S.
Vanessa M. Gezari, for the Pulitzer Center
On April 1, suicide attackers invaded the headquarters of Kandahar's provincial council. A bomb-laden car blew open the gates and four men ran into the compound shooting. They wore the dark green uniforms of the Afghan National Army and suicide vests.
Vanessa M. Gezari, for the Pulitzer Center
Vanessa M. Gezari, for the Pulitzer Center
Pulitzer Center grantee Don Duncan discusses his experience reporting from Afghanistan and the social, cultural and political shifts he observed on the ground. The interview aired Feb 9th, 2009 on Ireland AM, a daily morning show on Ireland's national TV3 channel.
AS AIRPORTS GO Dubai International is one of the more luxurious, an oasis of high design, chic lounges and upscale retail. But that's Terminal 1. Terminal 2 feels like a dark secret, barely signposted and difficult to locate. It has garish counters, stained walls and no air conditioning, so real-world smells, banished from the duty-free paradise of Terminal 1, come back full force.
Scenes of daily life in Kabul and Mazar-E-Sharif
Peter van Agtmael/Magnum Photos.
A visit there today makes it clear that there are two Afghanistans. There's the Afghanistan at war, to the south, particularly in the provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. But there's an Afghanistan at peace, with varying levels of stability from jittery, paranoid Kabul to the carefree Mazar-i-Sharif in the north - Afghanistan's fourth largest city - where I spent most of my time during a reporting trip in May.
About one in ten Afghans is disabled, a legacy of decades of war and poor health care. In 1999, Dost Mohammed Khairy contracted Guillane Barre Syndrome - an infection that attacks the nervous system. He is one of 9,000 Afghans given refuge in the US since Sept 11. He established an organization here to help the disabled in Afghanistan. Recently he made his first trip back.
Aired on Foreign Exchange November 7, 2008
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