Life in Kandahar

Life here in Kandahar is not simple or easy... This past week an American Aide Worker was kidnapped as she rode through Kandahar City with here driver/Linguist. She did not have any security with her... Which continue to show how dangerous this place continues to be. It is very difficult to change a culture, especially one filled with folks that can't read or write, and where force is the one who rules the land. During a recent trip to the Zhari/Panj Way District, we came across so many complex situations.... I take my hat off to the teams and SECFOR that routinely travel these dangerous roads.... Below is a picture of the HUMVV in front of me.

When we roll, we roll with a lot of fire power in most cases, so the chances of attacks, though still there are diminished somewhat. This particular day while en route I saw folks standing along the roadway with weapons in civilian clothing, I was not sure if they were policemen, a local villager, or the Taliban. It is very difficult to tell the difference in most cases... The below vehicle is one that we passed, filled with men and what I thought was an RPG in plain sight... they kept rolling and so did we...

The below picture is of an Afghan market in downtown Kandahar. In this country they don't have refrigeration, they just hang the meat outside and cut what is needed. When I saw this, I said thank God for a strong stomach.. because the Afghans are intent on us eating what they eat. They really try to get us to become/learn a part of their culture..... Just the thought of what we eat unknowingly is something else.....

On this particular day it was very cold outside. Pictured below is an Afghan family sitting outside the market.



Vehicle traffic in Kandahar in the traffic circle in downtown Kandahar... Notice the types of vehicles and their cargo. Very difficult to tell if they have something in their cargo beds... This is why we have to keep on the 360. Even the passengers are alert have a significant role to play in the safety of that convoy.


Some of the local people.
There are many widows in Afghanistan, many of which are poor and destitute. They litter the highway begging for help from anyone.... They are there in the cold, day in and day out. Many women are illiterate and jobless. There just is not many places to employ women in Afghanistan.. If the widows husband's family do not support her, then she is left on her own.



We have had many Afghan posing as police officers, they show up on pay day and disappear until the next pay day. The Minister of Interior has directed that all police officers have badges and ID cards. The below picture is of the police trying to accomplish this task. How archaic is this?
But they are getting it done by whatever means they can.... Keep in mind that even though automation exist to help them with this, most of the locations lack power, so they resort to what works...... Don't get me wrong, even though many cannot read or write, they are very resourceful people. I understand their plight, their reasoning for some of the things they do and why they act the way they do in some cases...


I wanted this edition of my blog to give you a view of the environment here, the people, culture, their method of living day to day, as well as how resourceful these people are. I have all the confidence in the world that they will get better, but we are talking generations literally. I know that it is hard to gleam much from the media, but a picture is worth a thousand words.



Also during this time my good friend LTC Kailon Dickens has re-deployed. He really helped to make this tour as pleasant as it can be. He also went out of his way to support me and this command in every way possible. A funny, wise, and experienced officer and friend. I hate to see him go, but glad that he was here and a part of my life.