On November 11th a new monument dedicated to US Special Operations Forces will be unveiled near Ground Zero in New York. The statue, of a soldier on a rearing Afghan horse, commemorates all SOF troops, but in particular the handful who fought alongside anti-Taliban opposition in Afghanistan in autumn and winter 2001. The author Doug …
Category Archives: Afghanistan
“You Must Understand, Buzkashi is Very Dangerous”
Thank you to Karen K for this spectacular photo essay: British journalists Mark Seager and Jerome Starkey play Buzkashi. Wow-o-wow.
Hermann the German (Donkey)
German troops have enlisted an unusual helper in their fight against radical Taliban insurgents in northern Afghanistan. “Hermann” the donkey not only hauls weaponry for the Bundeswehr, he also lifts the mood for soldiers in camp. The Germans purchased the beast of burden for the equivalent of about €70 at a local market to help …
Bu-ya-zkashi!
Buzkashi is part of the polo family – an Afghani ancestor of the modern game – although the chapandazan (players) prefer to use a goat carcass and not a ball. Every match is dense with local political significance and scores between war loards settled, refreshed and created anew. Not even the Taliban dared to ban …