kabul - forms and reforms.


 
 

October

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***Special Request***

I’m pictured here with orphans living at Tahya-i-Maskan Blocks, a state-run orphanage in Kabul. Two other staffers and I visit it from time to time, taking school supplies and cookies. For our next visit we’d like to take warm clothes. This is how you can help win hearts and minds. If you have warm winter clothing (parkas in particular) appropriate for boys and girls between the ages of infancy and 16, please send it to my attention at US Embassy Kabul (ARG), APO AE 09806. I will make sure the clothing gets to kids who need it. 

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I recently joined General Durbin and others on a trip to Torkham, a crossing point on the Pakistani border. Border crossings are a particularly important aspect to Afghanistan’s security. Suicide attackers, for example, are mostly believed to be organizing elsewhere and then entering the country illegally. 

This is the UH-60 Black Hawk we flew on to get there. Mounted on either side of the bird are M60s. We flew with the sliding doors open and guns at the ready. Talk about a thrill!

The pilots preferred slow take offs—to the point where the machine seemed almost to struggle to get airborne. Then it would hover at about 5 meters in the air for a few seconds. Next thing you know, the tail’s rising, your stomach’s sinking, and you feel almost bungeed hundreds of feet into the air, all within a matter of seconds. Very cool.

 

Here we are flying among the peaks of the Khyber Pass (silent K and guttural H). 

Questions running through my head: Will the engine lock up, choked with dust, in a dramatic episode of mechanical failure? Will a blade nick the mountainside? Am I going to make it back in time for dinner? (--> General Durbin insisted on skipping lunch out of solidarity with Afghans fasting as part of their observance of Ramadan)

In the foreground on the left side of the photo you can make out the tip of the gun. Shooters have a particularly difficult task given the many variables they face: constant changes in both velocity and altitude as well as the extraordinary downward force the copter’s blades thrust on the ammo fired. Shooters must aim up and over—several degrees in each direction—to increase precision.

 

 Bottles of "Cristal" water at Afghainstan Beverage Industries. 

As a follow up to a post earlier and in an encouraging sign of progress, the US Army here has announced a contract with Afghanistan Beverage Industries, an OPIC-financed bottled water company in Kabul. This is the first military contract of its kind. The agreement will inject $600,000 per month(!) into the local economy. Low-profile successes such as this one are slowly but surely making a difference to the economy here.

 

 

 

 

 

Early September

 

A sad day in Kabul today as at least two American soldiers and numerous Afghan civilians were killed in a suicide attack outside the Embassy's fortified walls.

US and coalition security forces were the target near the roundabout named for Massoud, a Northern Alliance hero killed by al Qaeda on September 9, 2001.

Taken as an experience, the effect of the blast was not altogether unfamiliar for me. Imagine a cross between the reverberation of a forceful burst of thunder and the sound of, say, a large dumpster carelessly dropped. Whatever, it was an effect felt as much as heard.

Almost immediately after the resonation of the blast—two seconds at most—the Europoean-style "duck and cover" alarm sounded. This high-low-high siren with interludes of a robotic voice reciting "Duck and cover. Get away from the windows" signals a serious situation is underway or imminent. I at once took refuge in the bathroom.

The alarm sounded for about 20 minutes while staff called and were called (and re-called) according to the emergency telephone cascade. The cell network here is prone to freezing under the pressure of too much traffic or sudden spikes in usage; not this time, however.


Updates also came from the Marines via the compound-wide PA system. They were often and of increasing seriousness; I suspect surveillance showed that not everyone heeded the instruction to stay indoors and away from the windows, especially as the minutes ticked by and no repeat booms resonated. The natural urge is to go outside to survey the scene. The alarm soon stopped, freeing people to walk about their apartments, but not yet outside. "Emergency" movement outside was permitted within an hour of that, and we’re now again allowed to work in our offices.

While it was immediately clear there was a powerful explosion nearby, the type—rocket, mortar, IED… who knew?—and its location weren't.

 
The BBC began reporting on the incident about 30 minutes after the blast—that is, soon after we were freed from the duck and cover posture.

Reports are that a car packed with explosives rammed into a US Army HMMWV, detonating an explosion that disintegrated the attack car and ripped the armored HMMWV in two.  The site of the blast was roughly 100 meters from my house, the fact that I felt and heard it (and while inside no less) some indication of its intensity.

Massoud Circle is the closest that city traffic can get to the Embassy and one of two heavily guarded main entrances to the compound. People with appointments at the Embassy are usually dropped off and then later picked up there. The circle's centerpiece, a single ionic column topped with a globe, is visible from select areas on the compound, and the decrepit (and water-less) water feature encircling the structure serves as a symbolic reminder of Afghanistan's continued state of disrepair and struggle for normalcy for many of us who routinely drive by there. The circle is still strung with decorative lights to commemorate one of Afghanistan's independence days last month.

Friday is the day off here, the holy day of prayer for Muslims. The
morning started off leisurely for me and, presumably, most others
here. The most excitement I had in store was an afternoon
trip to the local bazaar at Camp Eggers, the home of Combined Forces Command. The US Army has worked out a deal with local Afghan merchants whereby they can peddle their goods—both Afghan (carpets, furs, antique guns, jewelry) and non-Afghan alike (DVDs, sunglasses)—there on Fridays. Americans love it as much as the Afghans.

As some of the news reports have reminded us, Kabul is heavily
fortified by US and coalition forces. The US Embassy, even more so. Security forces here operate as the well-oiled machine that they should; they're quite impressive to watch. Considering the blast's size and proximity, that the embassy remained effectively untouched is a testament to the competence and effectiveness of security operations here. By no means do I want to suggest anyone's invincible in Afghanistan; others and I, however, continue to be thankful (and reminded) that we're very well protected.

No word yet on when the Embassy will return to normal operations (attending meetings off compound, etc.)—or whether "normal operations” as such will be redefined.

Sorry no photos this time. Promise more soon.

 

 

Late July

  

Me, pictured with bullet proof vest and trying my best to look tough.

Guess which famous quote in history inspired this photo.

"Cogito; ergo sum."  --Descartes

"Less is more."  --Mies van der Rohe

"Hey terrorists, terrorize this!"  --Lisa from Team America 

 


Craig, pictured with gun while driving outside of Bagram. 

He and his team of security experts are impressive to watch--ever on the look out for snipers and other threats large and small. They must accompany staff who are traveling outside Kabul.

Fast and without apology, Craig drives wherever he wants. Not shy, either, about using sirens (think European ambulance), horns, and universal hand signals to warn carbon-based obstructions in his way they have two options: move or get hit by 10,000 pounds of armored SUV. 

Among Craig's self-reported bag of driving tricks: maneuvering a 180 from the passenger's side of a car in motion, a defensive driving skill required should a driver suddenly be rendered unable to control the vehicle and danger lie directly ahead. Fortunately I didn't witness any such scenario. 

Craig's sidekick, Jeff (not pictured but for the very tip of a shoulder), kept vigilant watch in between protein shakes. No confirmation on whether he too can successfully execute the 180 (not a talkative fellow), but I’m guessing yes.

 

 

Oasis, name unknown, outside Kabul. Vantage: from inside the Land Cruiser, which had no problem crossing it. 

We saw a Toyota Corolla (c. 1992) packed full of Afghans also successfully cross.  


 

Chlorophyll, outside Kabul. 

Not all of Afghanistan is arid. Click the image to see the cattle grazing. Afghan cattle eat only grass, no corn. They’re usually about half the size of cattle in the States and, sans steroids, much bonier. Cuts are smaller, tougher, and less flavorful as a result. 

I know this from chatting with Russ, a Kabul-based butcher from whose restaurant I buy hamburgers occasionally (or as he calls them, beefburgers). 

A construction contract brought him to Aghanistan from North Carolina 4 years ago; but a small farm he's purchased and the butcher shop and restaurant he’s set up since have kept him here. 

The name of his burger joint is “What-a-Burger.” Hmmm, strangely familiar. 

Russ' accent is as unique as you might imagine, somehow splicing local inflection with a far-away southern drawl, all at a pace as slow as his tone is calm. 

 

More green meadow, a good ways outside Kabul.

The purpose of this excursion was scientific: to collect rock samples at specific coordinates so US Geological Survey and Afghan Geological Survey scientists can more precisely map the country. I know little about cartography, coordinates, and rock samples, and this mission really wasn't at all related to my work here. I got to tag along bascially because there was extra room in one of the cars and because the scientists in charge knew I had been wanting to see the countryside.

Turns out old mapping data the US inherited from the Soviets has in many cases proved inaccurate. Remarkably inaccurate, in fact. Speculation is that at least some of the inaccuracies were intentional--evidence of pockets of disloyalty (and maybe widespread corruption) among Soviet ranks occupying Afghanistan. Wikipedia article needed on this topic.

Speaking of Soviets, throughout the countryside are little souvenirs they left: 1970s military equipment such as tanks, amphibious vehicles, and, unfortunately, land mines. There are several demining camps around; but the process of clearing the land is slow. Not to mention expensive. Dogs are able to sniff out the explosive devices and earn their keep several times over by advising, via their human translators, areas to avoid.

   

Fiat: bottled water! Inventory spotted while on a tour of a Kabul-based bottled water facility. 

OPIC, a USG-sponsored lending agency, financed the underwriting for the facility pictured here.

Oddly, the US Embassy continues to import its bottled water from Dubai and elsewhere, the fact that the US financed this facility notwithstanding. 

Also notwithstanding: the fact that buying locally is at once much cheaper and supportive of the fledgling market-based economy here. 

Numbering among this company’s clients, incidentally, are the embassies of several European countries. I can hear them saying touche, and I don't like the sound of it.

 

And finally... 

 

Rosebush redux, outside C-27. 

Against all odds.  

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Early July 

A quick look into life at Embassy Kabul. 

Pretty cushy, relatively speaking. Steady electricity, clean water, safety, internet, and views of a mountain range. 

So far I'm enjoying the simplicity of it all. There's time for work, sleep, food, and exercise. It's a modern buddhism of sorts, my life here.  Gone are complications: delays on the Metro, lines at Chipotle, and taxi drivers who split rides with other patrons.

But so too are family and friends, unfortunately. This is part of my effort, then, to keep you at least visually updated for the next year. 

As you know, I'm a big fan of email; so drop a note and let me know what you think.    

 

 Hooches, southward. Think of it as Levitttown, Kabul-style.

More hooches, westward. Question: is there beauty in uniformity?

A street ordinary, Kabul.

C-27 (my hooch), image I of II.

C-27, image II of II. Fully equipped with microwave, fridge, TV, DVD player, small (Afghan-crafted) carpet, pink lamp (?), air conditioner, and window (not pictured). The lounge chair could pass as a piece straight out of the Ralph Lauren Home collection.

Rosebush, outside C-27. It gets watered daily; the Afghan sun, however, is too much for the soil. Resist the metaphor.