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Afghanistan, The Land of Eternal Suffering (2001- 2011)

I travelled to Afghanistan multiple times from 2001 to 2011, covering life and news events.

In 2001, I crossed the “Dogharun” border from the eastern part and entered “Islam Qala” in Afghanistan right after the U.S. and allied forces attacked, chasing al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

The 127 km road between the border and Herat took a long time due to the damaged road, riddled with holes from explosions during years of attacks. In fact, we had to drive on the desert beside the road, as it was often impossible to traverse the damaged route. Life in Herat gradually returned to normal, although Mojahedin fighters continued chasing Taliban members and making arrests here and there.

In 2002, I flew to Kabul to cover Afghanistan's Independence celebrations, commemorating the country's independence from British dominion in 1919. The atmosphere at the Kabul sports stadium, filled with people joyfully celebrating a new era after the Taliban, was starkly different from the previous year when the Taliban executed people in the same place.

I also took a trip to the Panjshir Valley to participate in the first anniversary of Ahmad Shah Massood's assassination and the opening ceremony of his tomb.

I managed to make a few more trips to Afghanistan until 2011.

© Kamran Jebreili - 2024

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