This documentary was made to mark 10 years of the British Afghan Women's Society and to celebrate some fantastic achievements.
Tags :afghanistan, women, British Afghan Women's Society, afghan

Watch the trailer for the exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul, on view at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco from Oct 24, 2008 through Jan 25, 2009. The exhibition was organized by the National Geographic Society and the National Gallery of Art in association with the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Trailer produced by Blue Bear Films for National Geographic Society.
Tags :asian, art, museum, san, francisco, hidden, treasure, afghanistan, exhibition, trailer, National, Geographic, Society

Watch the full film here: www.youtube.com For downloads and more information, visit: www.journeyman.tv Celebrating a decade of war - Afghan society in ruins To see more go to www.youtube.com Follow us on Facebook (goo.gl or Twitter (www.twitter.com After ten years of war an epidemic of drug addiction has seeped into every nook of Afghan society. Opium has become so commonplace it is used to calm babies. A terrifying insight into a lost decade. From a pockmarked Kabul squat to the desiccated northern plains, the oblivion of opium has become the last resort for many desperate Afghans. Mothers across the remote regions know they shouldn't do it, but when her baby has a stomach-ache Khoshan gives her, "a puff to calm down her pain so she won't die". When challenged she sobs, "there wasn't...there wasn't a doctor". July 2010
Tags :this, is, my, destiny, war, conflict, journeyman, pictures, afghanistan, documentary, drugs, opium, news, current affairs, journeyman pictures

In an interview with FOX News, Professor Walid Phares, advisor to the anti-Terrorism Caucus of the US House of Representatives and author of the prescient book, "Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies against America," said, "The Haqqani network, the Taliban and other Jihadists in Pakistan and Afghanistan will take back most of Afghanistan and pressure Pakistan if we do not support secular interests in both countries and engage the forces for civil society before the withdrawal. If not, the Taliban will advance the moment we withdraw."
Tags :Walid Phares, Taliban, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Haqqani network, jihadists

Aschiana, or "the Nest" is an Afghan NGO which provides services and support to Afghan street-working and war-affected children. Aschiana is facing a short-term funding crisis and can always use support. This is an overview of what Aschiana does and provides for the most vulnerable sector of Afghan society - its poorest children.
Tags :Afghanistan, war, street, children, war-affected, orphanage, Afghan, school, NGO, assistance, help, kids, assist, poverty, grassroots, orphan, kinder

www.botshikan.blogfa.com What causes the documented high level of civilian casualties -- 3000 - 3400 civilian deaths -- in the US air war upon Afghanistan? The explanation is the apparent willingness of US military strategists to fire missiles into and drop bombs upon, heavily populated areas of Afghanistan. A legacy of the ten years of civil war during the 80s is that many military garrisons and facilities are located in urban areas where the Soviet-backed government had placed them since they could be better protected there from attacks by the rural mujahideen. Successor Afghan governments inherited these emplacements. To suggest that the Taliban used 'human shields' is more revealing of the historical amnesia and racism of those making such claims, than of Taliban deeds. Anti-aircraft emplacements will naturally be placed close by ministries, garrisons, communications facilities, etc.. A heavy bombing onslaught must necessarily result in substantial numbers of civilian casualties simply by virtue of proximity to 'military targets', a reality exacerbated by the admitted occasional poor targeting, human error, equipment malfunction, and the irresponsible use of out-dated Soviet maps. But, the critical element remains the very low value put upon Afghan civilian lives by US military planners and the political elite, as clearly revealed by US willingness to bomb heavily populated regions. Current Afghan civilian lives must and will be sacrificed in order to [possibly ...
Tags :Afghan, Civilians, Killed, in, Bombing, Attacks, We, just, want, peace, and, freedom, to, kick, US, out, of, my, country

Taliban fighters launched an assault on government buildings and the United Nations office in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of the southern region of Helmand, just hours after the international conference on the future of Afghanistan in London closed. A new fund aimed at reducing the Taliban threat was announced at the conference - the fund sets aside $140m for the first year of a programme to "reintegrate" moderate Taliban into the Afghan society. The Taliban released a statement dismissing the initiative as "futile". Al Jazeera's David Chater reports from Kabul. [January, 29, 2010]
Tags :asianews, taliban, afghanistan, afghan, lashkar, gah, helmand, attack, assault, UN, United, Nations, aljazeera, al, jazeera, david, chater, threat, war, hamid, karzai

NEW YORK, October 26, 2011 — Former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Riaz Mohammad Khan discusses reconciliation in Afghanistan and says US expectations that Pakistan deliver the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network are 'somewhat unrealistic.' Source: asiasociety.org
Tags :afghanistan, asia society, new york, art, culture, international, Asia, pakistan, Taliban, Riaz Mohammad Khan, author:suzannedimaggio, Khan (title)

As part of the Carr Center's Satte Building and Human Rights in Afghanistan & Pakistan Program's Public Speaker Series, Michael Semple offers a case study in how a civilian political officer tries to guide the military in dealing with the complexities of Afghan society in the province of Helmand.
Tags :Afghanistan, Michael, Semple

PBS FRONTLINE looks at the controversial night raids conducted by the US Joint Services Operations Command (JSOC) in Afghanistan. These missions, carried out by special forces, are aimed at killing or capturing Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants. However, it is claimed that they have repeatedly resulted in targeting innocent civilians. Moreover, the US soldiers are oblivious to the cultural sensitivities of the Afghan society, leading to further alienating an already hostile population. These factors are now widely acknowledged to fuel the insurgency, by providing fresh recruits to the very enemy that these raids aim to neutralize. This has setup an unending cycle of violence that is rapidly escalating with time.
Tags :Frontline (US TV series), War on Terror, Afghanistan

The United Nations has expressed alarm about the rise in drug abuse across the world in its annual report on narcotics. Of special concern is Afghanistan, where the UN says opium use is rising, even among small children. A study released by the UN indicates that 1 million Afghans between the age of 15 and 64 are addicted to drugs -- that's roughly 8 percent of the country's population, twice the global average. The report also expressed concern at the level of Afghan drug trafficking and the consequences for countries like Russia. Americans have failed to create some kind of stability in Afghanistan and the tremendous corruption now devouring Afghan society fuels drug trafficking, shared Igor Khokhlov, fellow with the Institute of World Economy and International Relations in Moscow. "The brother of President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, Akhmed Karzai, is reported to be the top drug lord in the country -- that is what the Americans themselves say," Khokhlov acknowledged. The increase of opium production in Afghanistan hits Russia hard, Khokhlov said, adding that setting up a base in Kyrgyzstan would help to effectively control the drug flow from Afghanistan because international co-operation is always effective when fighting drug abuse, but the "basic reason lies in Afghanistan itself."
Tags :afghanistan, kyrgyzstan, russia, heroin, opium, drug, junkie, trafficking

www.soros.org Farzana Wahidy photographed women in different life and work situations in Afghanistan. While most stories on women in Afghanistan focus solely on the negative aspects of their lives, Wahidy aims to capture the full breadth of their experiences. Her photographs capture daily life at home, work, and school, as well as special occasions such as weddings. She also includes images of women who have suffered physical and emotional violence as a result of religious restrictions and traditional customs. www.soros.org ------------------------------- Meet the Recipients of the 2009 Production Grant for Photographers from Central Asia, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Pakistan. In 2009, the Open Society Documentary Photography Project launched a new grant program to support photographers from Central Asia, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Pakistan. Nine photographers were selected from 6 different countries—Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan—to document social justice or human rights issues in their home countries. In addition to awarding project funds, the program provided these photographers with two workshops in Istanbul, audio recording equipment and training, and a 6-month mentorship with world-renowned photographers Yuri Kozyrev (NOOR Images) and Antonin Kratochvil (VII Photo Agency).
Tags :documentary, photography, photojournalism, project, open society, arts, central asia, asia, women, afghanistan

USMC Staff Sgt. & LAPD Officer JOSHUA J. CULLINS arrives at Los Angeles International Airport. The Los Angeles Police Emerald Society Pipe and Drum Band, Marine Corps, LAPD representatives and numerous law enforcement agency bomb squad members joined the family plane side. www.emeraldsociety.net
Tags :Bomb Squad, Emerald Society, Pipes and Drums, Police, Irish, Scott Walton, USMC, KIA, EOD

In 1964, President Johnson said of Vietnam that I don't think it's worth fighting for, and I don't think that we can get out. Its just the biggest damn mess I ever saw.'' Yet Johnson escalated the conflict and America became bogged down in Southeast Asia for more than a decade. Former Senator George McGovern recently sat down with ANP and said that President Obama runs the risk, like Johnsons Great Society, of hobbling his ambitious domestic goals if he continues to send troops into Afghanistan.
Tags :George mcgovern, Democrats, Barack Obama, Lyndon Johnson, The Great Society, Afghanistan, Iraq, Economy, Financial Crisis, 1972, Richard Nixon, mcgeorge Bundy, Stimulus, Vietnam

In her talk at the Oslo Freedom Forum, Dr. Sima Samar explains how 31 years of war and invasion has forced Afghan society to become very conservative and unfriendly toward human rights and especially the rights of women. Samar describes how before the war, when she was young, she was able to study in a co-educational school. In today's Afghanistan, she says, such a thought is unimaginable. Samar tells us how after the Soviet invasion, many Afghans rallied around religious conservatives and began to follow their lead both militarily and socially. These religious conservatives gained control of Afghanistan's schools, and in a region severely lacking public education, were able to indoctrinate many younger Afghans. There were more than 6 million refugees in the Afghan region in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and many of them were taught in madrasas that, according to Samar, spread a false, extreme, hateful, and aggressive Islam that encouraged hatred and discrimination against women. This led to an environment where under the Taliban government, uttering the words "human rights" or "women's rights" was a crime. Samar now heads the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission; a group established after the downfall of the Taliban whose very existence is a success and a good omen. Now, at least, there is an Afghan institution that conducts field monitoring and reporting on human rights abuses and provides TV, radio, and written programs that promote human rights and ...
Tags :Afghanistan, Sima Samar, Oslo Freedom Forum, peace, women's rights, solidarity, human rights, development, exit strategy, transparency, democracy, accountability, military, justice, children's rights, poverty, education, healthcare, water, shelter, Taliban, torture, 9/11, war, mujahadeen, refugees, occuation, USSR, freedom

Nov 2001 As the future of Afghanistan hangs in the balance, we look back on the country's past and ask where its future lies? The rugged terrain of Afghanistan has often found itself at the centre of some of the world's major conflicts. The pictures on our television screens show a country virtually destroyed by war. Yet it wasn't always so: film footage from the 1970s paints a very different picture, of an open and modern society. The capital Kabul buzzes with life, its streets filled with cars, bicycles and pedestrians. At this time, Kabul was famed as an exotic stop-off point on the hippy trail between Europe and India. "That was a golden period for the Afghans," reminisces Dr Ahmed Abdul Javid, former Chancellor of Kabul University. Until the Taliban enforced an Islamic year zero in 1996, Afghanistan was a relatively liberal Place. Farah Hawad, a female journalist who left Kabul for Britain in 1994, describes the country's progressive attitude towards women back then: "Afghanistan was the first Asian country that had women in parliament." But even during this so-called golden era, tensions existed between the country's different ethnic factions, which finally ignited after the Soviet defeat. The task of establishing a lasting peace between these various ethnic groups is likely to be a long and complex one. If Afghanistan is finally freed from the foreign intervention that has dogged it for so long, perhaps new kind of society will finally be able to flourish in this ...
Tags :Afghanistan, Past, Pre-Taliban, Education, Independence, Modern, Liberal, Womens, Rights, Kabul, Tourists, TV, news, documentary, current affairs, journeyman, journeyman pictures

For more news visit ☛ english.ntdtv.com Follow us on Twitter ☛ http Add us on Facebook ☛ facebook.com A Thriving Snow Leopard community has been discovered in war torn Afghanistan. A large and healthy population of this rare species has come to light in the mountainous region of the Wakhan Corridor. The discovery was made by a team of scientists who laid camera traps. The world's most elusive big cat, the snow leopard, has been found flourishing in a remote mountainous region of Afghanistan. Thanks to the dedicated work of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) this rare species was discovered in the Wakhan Corridor between Tajikistan and Pakistan. According to Joe Walston, Executive Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Asia Program, this was an unexpected discovery. [Joe Walston, Executive Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Asia Program]: "We have a traditional image of modern day Afghanistan, which is one that is full of conflict and to some extent that is true. But there are parts of Afghanistan like the Wakhan Corridor, which really represent a whole different way of being able to see not only what it is like in the Wakhan, but what it was like in other parts of Afghanistan. Local communities with a strong sense of identity living and depending on their environment." A team of Afghan nationals worked alongside foreign wildlife experts representing the WCS placing camera traps around local areas. Sixteen of these produced the first ...
Tags :NTDTV, ntd, world, news, CN, videos, China News, snow leopard, Afghanistan, Wakhan Corridor, scientists, WCS, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Asia, environment, species, livestocmarco, Polo, Sheep, Ibex

November 3, 2011
Tags :Ben, Friedman, Cato, Institute, Foreign, Policy, Libertarian, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Middle, East, Afghanistan, Bush, Ground, Crisis

who are the hazaras? The Hazaras are one of several ethnic groups inhabiting 7 million mostly in central Afghanistan. The area is known as Hazarajat or originally Hazaristan. The Hazaras are Muslim and Shi'a in majority, but we also have Sunni's. We speak our own version of Farsi known as the "Hazaragi" dialect. The Hazaras are the second largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. However, as a consequence of the discriminatory and segregationist policies of ruling Afghan/Pashtun governments, they remain politically, economically and socially the most underdeveloped group in Afghanistan society The Hazaras are mostly Shias Muslims, and inhabit the heart of Afghanistan, surrounded by Sunni Muslims. A second theory suggests that the Hazaras adopted Shiism at the time of Shah Abbas Safavid (1589-1629). This theory was first proposed by Vambery in 1895, who maintained: Shah Abbas forced them [the Hazaras] to accept Shiism (1864:132). Hazara Shiism, like that of Persia, is Isna-Ashari (Twelver). This theory of their conversion to Shiism at the time of Shah Abbas is confirmed by the Hazara themselves. the Hazaras were already Shias at the time of Shah Abbas; two to three thousand Hazara soldiers, under the command of Din Mohammad Khan Uzbek, fought against Shah Abbass army (1916:567-9). A third theory maintains that the Hazaras adopted Shiism as soon as they converted to Islam. After Ghazan-Khan his son, Abu Said, continued his fathers tradition (Rashid, 1959:984-985997). Thus ...
Tags :hazara, hazaragi, afghan, history, azra, azragi, bamian, bamyan, dari, pashtu, tajik, uzbak, pashtun, kabul, afghanistan, mazar, herat, ghazni, jaghori, dahmarda, gulzar, hazaraboy, hazaralover, sverige, sweden, svensak, afghaner, härnösand, sundsvall, stochholm, 2009, 2010, song, 2013, 2011, 2012, 2914, 2015

Many children in Afghanistan are among the most exploited members of society, being forced to work almost as soon as they can walk. This brick factory where young boys work to pay off their family's debts is just one of many examples of child labour in the country. Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith reports from Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.
Tags :Bernard Smith, jazeera, aljazeera, Afghanistan, Nangarhar, asianews