How A Female Photographer Sees Her Afghanistan

“This is the first time that anybody has been out in the little hamlets and villages in years. And pretty much every time we went on a patrol, we were getting shot at.” - David Gilkey/NPR

NPR photographer David Gilkey, who was recently embedded with U.S. troops in eastern Afghanistan, spoke with Morning Edition co-host Renee Montagne earlier today about an offensive in the Ghazni province. Visit the Picture Show to see more images and hear the interview.

What does daily life look like in Afghanistan? It’s something we rarely see despite more than a decade of U.S. military involvement.

Headlines of war and political crises usually occupy the news out of Afghanistan.

But beyond all that, ordinary life goes on.

See more of NPR Staff Photographer, David Gilkey’s, photos of Kabul at The Picture Show: A Glimpse Of Daily Life In Afghanistan

timelightbox:

From 2008 to 2011, Larry Towell traveled to Afghanistan five times, documenting in both photographs and videos the various social issues that plague its citizens, from drug addiction and poverty to the prevalence of landmines.

The work is part of a new show and slated to be an upcoming book. See more here.

Role-players dressed as Afghan policemen clear a mosque in a mock village where a sniper had been firing on them. ©David Gilkey/NPR

In Mock Village, A New Afghan Mission Takes Shape

At the Fort Polk military base in the pine forests of central Louisiana, the Army has created a miniature version of Afghanistan.