DANGEROUS TRIPS * Afghanistan - The road ahead
Kabul,Afghanistan -BBC News/News By Bilal Sarwary -12 Sept 2009: -- It's a sunny summer morning at a busy bus station in Jalalabad, capital of eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar... The bus connecting the city to the Afghan capital of Kabul is about to start... In his voice hoarse, Lal Mohammad, the driver makes the final announcement...
Jalalabad is renowned throughout Afghanistan for its fertile soil and the chaotic nature of its traffic... The stench of diesel fumes mixed with the sweat of the man is overpowering as Mohammad takes a turn and stopped the car in the middle of the road... A police officer board the bus here and politely asked passengers to disembark... His men then undertake a quick search. The shell luggage, seats, floor and even the hood are scanned for weapons and opium... Mohammad soon gets the green light from the officer to proceed...
Like any other part of the country, security on the road remains a major concern... As the Hindu Kush mountains appear picturesque in the distance, switches on the music Mohammad Pashtun, and one by one, passengers are serenaded in a state of silent terror... The spell is broken when the bus stopped suddenly on a narrow road, flanked by peaks and fragments of rock ledge... Nearby, soldiers from the Afghan National Army are keeping an eye on the road from their Humvee... Their faces show an intense distrust - a result of months of relentless violence...
(Photo: Kabul Halalabad Highway)
It is only recently, several tankers of fuel from ISAF convoys and transport have been attacked by the Taliban in this valley... A soldier boards the bus, ordering passengers to disembark immediately - is the latest in a series of checkpoints in security along the route... Khan is on his way to Kabul to settle the case for her son who was killed by a local commander in the district of Sarkano. ..
Labels: dangerous trips
posted by Unknown @ 7:01 PM
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