Afghanistan: Broken Promise
Moises Saman tracks the evolution of conflict in the country, observing the US troops presence and the resulting impact on the lives of Afghan civilians since 2001
“The Afghanistan I know is a land of clashing contrasts, of raw beauty, its landscape scarred by centuries of wars fought against foreign armies and with itself. Since 2001 I have returned over and over again, with the hope of documenting the promise of peace and prosperity made by the latest invading powers. I soon realized the fragility of this promise and found Afghanistan staring at a precipice, its free fall toward anarchy gaining strength throughout the country; no longer confined to the Pashto-speaking provinces where the Taliban was born and remain entrenched.
The deteriorating security situation is evident all around me on each subsequent visit. One less safe road to travel on, a labyrinth of blast walls surrounding Kabul, the hostile stare of an innocent child. For the local population, peace and stability have become a fleeting dream, not a sustainable promise in which their sense of hope finds refuge. Still, I continue to find myself drawn to this remarkable place and its people, to their unmatched sense of pride on being Afghan, and the hint of dignity and spirit that I find in most of the people I meet here, determined to carry on however battered their existence.” – Moises Saman
