Afghanistan From the Air (Interesting Slideshow)

[tekisui]

Source: NYT



From the safety of a window seat 30,000 feet above the ground aboard a commercial flight to Kabul, the dangerous tribal areas and mountain ranges that separate Pakistan from southern Afghanistan are a truly majestic sight. This is one of the most rugged and dangerous parts of the world, a vast area that is completely off limits to Westerners because it is controlled by an array of Pashtun tribes loyal to Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Some experts believe that Osama bin Laden continues to find refuge somewhere along these forbidding mountains eight years after the attacks of Sept. 11.

From the air, the impenetrability of this region becomes evident. For centuries dating back to Alexander the Great, foreign armies have tried to invade and occupy this strategic land, only to be met by the fierce resistance of the hardened warrior tribes that live here.

Today, not much has changed in this undeveloped part of the world, and its communities continue to live isolated from Kabul or Islamabad. The millions of development dollars spent since the start of the war are seen only as the plane starts making its descent toward the Afghan capital. Suddenly the bare mountain ranges and isolated villages transform into an oasis of densely packed building structures and newly paved avenues that go on for miles. Not far in the distance, the lawless mountains that surround Kabul serve as a constant reminder of how fragile the situation remains in this war-torn country.

PICS at link: http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/afghanistan-from-the-air/