Previous Reports
February 2010
- If I Were a Boy
February 28th, 2010
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN: Dear Readers, I’m sorry I haven’t been in contact with you for a long time. I’m in trouble. It all started when someone began calling me on my cell phone...
- Farmer Speaks About Security in Helmand
February 16th, 2010
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: When I arrived home the other night, I saw someone was sitting in the guest room. I asked my nephew whether we had a visitor and he nodded...
- Remembering the Bombing of the Indian Embassy
February 2nd, 2010
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN: A sharp sound shook the ground and the walls of the building, and then a thick cloud of smoke and dirt burst into the room and tossed people in...
January 2010
- The Making of a Taliban?
January 15th, 2010
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: I met Khalid in Mirwais Hospital, where he was being treated for severe body injuries, including a broken hand and numerous bruises...
- The Bravery of an Afghan Woman
January 7th, 2010
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: Lailuma was afraid. She had never been so afraid before. Many eyes were fixed on the front door of her house, waiting for her to come out...
December 2009
- Water Peddler
December 12th, 2009
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: Today I will tell you the story of one boy who sells water in Kandahar’s football stadium. His real name is Gulali but people call him laiwani...
- Making Movies in Southern Afghanistan
December 1st, 2009
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: Once I was making a movie about opium smokers (Aaina-e-ebrath) and I was looking for a good location to film. I eventually found a village where...
November 2009
- Night Raid in Sulaghai
November 22nd, 2009
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: Members of the Zhari district Shura told me that on April 27, 2009, around 2:00 o’clock in the morning, a group of U.S. soldiers stormed Sulaghai...
- The Witchdoctor
November 14th, 2009
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN: I was born in a small village not far from Kabul. Unfortunately, most of the people there are uneducated and they won’t accept anything that does not...
- A Night Full of Fear
November 3rd, 2009
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: One night I walked out of my house to go pray at the mosque. It was around 8:30 p.m. and the streets were dark. A few shops were still open...
October 2009
- A Student's Trip to Pakistan
October 30th, 2009
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN: When I applied to the American University in Kabul the registrar told me: “You must go back to Peshawar to have your documents verified...
- Light and Darkness
October 22nd, 2009
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: Whenever a new governor takes over in Kandahar province he always promises that the power supply will get better. But instead...
- The Death of My Brother
October 15th, 2009
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: My brother Faiz was a truck driver. One day his boss came to our house, called Faiz, and said: “You should drive to Pakistan today...
September 2009
- Car Bomb
September 23rd, 2009
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: I saw a car bomb explode on a busy street in Kandahar city. The bomb did not damage any military vehicles but it killed many students...
- Monitoring the Elections
September 14th, 2009
CIUDAD JUÁREZ, MEXICO: While in the midst of studying for my university exams I found out that I had been selected to monitor the July 2009 parliamentary elections...
- NATO Shot an Innocent Man
September 4th, 2009
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: I made a turn on a street called Alama Habibi Watt, near Zahir Shahi High School, and I saw several NATO tanks rolling along the road...
August 2009
- Story of a Taliban Ambush
August 6th, 2009
KANDAHAR: AFGHANISTAN: Abdul Khaliq was a poor farmer from the Panjwayi district of Kandahar province. On February 6th 2009, an international organization...
- What Should Have Been a Romantic Evening
August 3rd, 2009
CIUDAD JUÁREZ, MEXICO: On January 21, 2008, I decided to skip my last evening class at university to go celebrate with my boyfriend our five months of engagement...
July 2009
- The Man From Helmand
July 11th, 2009
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: After my English class I waited for a friend outside the school. Suddenly a man with a big black beard, a big black turban, and typical...
June 2009
- The Shoe Shiner
June 14th, 2009
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: Ahmad Shah is a 12-year-old from Panjwayi, a district in Kandahar province. I met him on a chilly January afternoon while I was...
May 2009
- Fast Driving in Kandahar
May 14th, 2009
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: Last week a foreign military convoy zoomed through my neighborhood. I was going to the bazaar with a friend when I noticed it approaching...