Afghanistan: From the Ground Up
Anna Badkhen talks about her time spent among the people of Afghanistan on American Public Media's The Story .
Anna Badkhen talks about her time spent among the people of Afghanistan on American Public Media's The Story .
Despite the frequent violence and extreme poverty in Afghanistan, people living there find happiness in a simple ice cream cone.
Little has changed for the people in Afghanistan since the U.S. invaded the country--perpetual violence and intimidation still exist, especially against those who lent a hand to Western-led efforts.
Spring rainfall in Afghanistan has been steadily decreasing and the country's crop supplies are beginning to dwindle--more than a third of all Afghans will not have enough to eat this fall.
Generations of conquerors and marauders have come and gone in northern Afghanistan, but the paths on which they travel have endured.
Untrained militiamen, also known as arbakis, living in southeastern Afghanistan are preparing to stop the Taliban insurgency, but they lack proper weapons to defend their lands.
Afghanistan is dying--not because of the Taliban or the allied forces, but from treatable illnesses that are slowly killing off a population with no medical services.
Afghans living in rural villages are unaware of many newsworthy events--like the death of Osama Bin Laden--because they do not have access to a television or computer.
The Taliban is on the march in the northern province of Balkh, not least in poor, rural villages like Kampirak where drought, isolation, and government neglect have fueled discontent.
Karaghuzhlah is just one of many settlements in Balkh province taken over by the Taliban in the past year, but life in the community has not improved--residents still live in extreme poverty.
Many Afghan citizens have become skeptical of the U.S. military presence in the country, hinting at a possible collaboration between the superpower and the Taliban.
Last month, NATO forces ceded this northern city to the Afghan army, calling it safe territory. But insurgent forces are on the doorstep.