Project

A Journey Home: Afghanistan through the Eyes of a Returning Refugee

Dost Mohammad Fahim Khairy, an Afghan who left his country in a time of great turmoil and was resettled in the United States refugee program, makes his first journey home to Afghanistan since he left on Sept. 15, 2001. A reporting team, comprised of lead reporter Jessica Wanke, reporter Don Duncan and photographer Peter van Agtmael, travels with Fahim and chronicles his experiences after years away from his homeland. Khairy's observations and experiences on this voyage are the lens through which the team looks at Afghanistan today.

Through Khairy, the team delves into issues of Western aid, continued military presence, development and protracted internal conflict. A political blogger, human rights activist and astute follower of developments in Afghanistan, Khairy is an ideal voice to narrate the changes his country is undergoing. Additional perspectives from the ground, from NGO workers to Western military personnel to local Afghans, will provide a broader context to understanding where Afghanistan is today, and where it is going.

Afghanistan: Arriving in Phoenix

Don and I left New York today on the first leg of our long journey to Afghanistan. We flew from our homebase in New York to Phoenix to meet up with Dost Mohammad and his younger brother, Farshad, as they prepared for their trip to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Dost Mohammad

I've known Dost Mohammad for five years now. We met when I was living in Phoenix and working as a reporter for The Arizona Republic. Dost, originally from Afghanistan, was not living in Phoenix by choice. Rather, he was there because it is where he was resettled by the U.S. government after leaving his home country as a refugee.