Afghanistan, a Taylor-Made Peace
Afghanistan
2018/2021
Amid the news that the U.S. is pulling out of Afghanistan starting in May through September and the peace talks and hopes for the Istanbul conference, on the ground and in the Afghan battlefields war is raging. Different groups of Talibans and government supported illegal militias are fighting. In all this, the national army is struggling to keep control of the main highways and cities. Talibans say they are ready for peace, but they want to see the international forces out and the instauration of a new islamic government. In the west, influential mullah Manan Niazi, seceded from the main faction in 2015, fights for "the real Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" and "against the puppets of Pakistan" according to his words The national army and police units are not able to defend themselves against a superior enemy. Moreover, many politicians, often under the auspices of foreign governments, together with the secret services (NDS), have started distributing weapons to illegal militias across the country, who are fighting against the Taliban.
01- April 08, 2021 - A woman walks in a street in a village in Nerkh, a district of Wardak province, a Taliban-held area where women must wear burqas, not just the black hijab customarily worn in the district.02 - April 08, 2021 - Taliban fighters walk in the countryside in Nerkh, a district of Wardak province.
03 - April 01, 2021 - A village in Baghlan province, one of the most Taliban-controlled provinces in the north-eastern region. Besides Taliban fighters, local pro-government militias supported by the NDS (National Directorate of Security) are active in the province.04 - August 2018 - Special Forces soldiers get ready to move to Ghazni Provincial Center.
05 - April 05, 2021 - Members of the Afghan police stand next to a blast wall on the last checkpost, before the Taliban-controlled area, in Wardak province.06 - August 2018 - American soldiers at the Ghazni PRT base.
07 - August 2018 - Special Forces soldiers sleeps at the Ghazni PRT base.08 - August 2018 - An Afghan soldier talks on the radio on top of the Ghazni Provincial building.
09 - August 2018 - An American soldier sleeps at the Ghazni PRT base.10 - March 28, 2021 - A senior leader of a breakaway faction of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi, addresses his followers in Herat province.
11 - March 28, 2021 - A fighter part of a breakaway faction of the Taliban stands guard in a mountain area in Herat province.12 - April 08, 2021 - Taliban fighters greet themself during a meeting in Nerkh, a district of Wardak province.13 - April 01, 2021 - Villagers in Baghlan province, one of the most Taliban-controlled provinces in the north-eastern region. Besides Taliban fighters, local pro-government militias supported by the NDS (National Directorate of Security) are active in the province.14 - August 2018 - People walk among buildings damaged in the wake of a Taliban attack to take control of Ghazni city.15 - August 2018 - A view of Kabul city from a Black Houck.16 - August 2018 - A Special Forces soldier reads a military manual at the Ghazni PRT base.17 - March 25, 2021 - Maulvi Qalamuddin poses for a portrait. During the Taliban regime, he oversaw the implementation of extreme and strict Islamic laws through religious police squads, such as public beatings of women who were deemed to be dressed or behaving inappropriately, ban women from working in public space, smash televisions, and forcing men to grow beards and spend more time in mosques.
18 - March 28, 2021 - A senior leader of a breakaway faction of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi (third to the left), sits with some of his followers inside a house in a mountain area in Herat province.19 - April 08, 2021 - Taliban fighters stand next to a tree in the countryside in Nerkh, a district of Wardak province.20 - August 2018 - Nakibullah Salwary, 35, injured on his chest during the Taliban attack at Ghazni city, seats in a bed at Ghazni Provincial hospital.21 - August 2018 - A Special Forces soldier walks between two armored vehicles at the Ghazni PRT base. Some special units use stancil portrait of prominent american figures to identify their vehicles.22 - April 08, 2021 - Students seat inside a classroom in a school in a village in Nerkh, a district of Wardak province, a Taliban-held area.23 - March 29, 2021 - A woman walks along the street in Herat, the second-largest city in Afghanistan. Despite the economy has improved since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, the country remains highly dependent on foreign aid.24 - April 08, 2021 - A Taliban fighter walk in the countryside in Nerkh, a district of Wardak province