Understanding the "Dark Side" of Afghanistan

Lest anyone think that I am blind to the “Dark Side” in Afghanistan, I offer this post. I would like to be clear that my personal observations to date are restricted to Kabul city and Kabul Province. Much as I would like otherwise, so far my duties and insurgent activity in the countryside have kept me on a short leash.

Yes, there is violence here, but it isn’t correct to put all of it on insurgent activity. They benefit from the chaos that violence in general fosters, but they do not cause all the violence. One must understand the Pashtun, who are largest tribal group in Afghanistan. They have, for centuries even preceding Islam, lived by a code of honor called the Pashtunwali (Way of the Pashtun). Central to that code is the concept of badal or revenge.

By that code, even between Pashtun there is violence. Some of the violence that we simplistically label as “terrorism” is, in fact, badal under the Pashtunwali. The Pashtun and Americans have more in common than they may realize. And they hold grudges…for a long time…sometimes centuries.

In addition to this violence there is simple banditry, battles over drug territory and trade, and just the ordinary everyday crime common in any society. The real trick for all the professionals trying to sort all this out is to…well…sort it out. Properly identifying which act of violence goes in which bucket is quite a trick, especially since they sometimes overlap.

The bottom line is that we are not going to change that aspect of their culture. It will remain violent. The best we can do is try to channel that energy into more constructive pursuits, but they will not let it go. Or as one Pashtun said, “I have been a Pashtun for over 2,000 years. I have been Muslim for 1,200 years and I have been Afghan for 250 years. So I am Pashtun.”

What is an Afghan? A simplistic definition would be to classify anyone born within or descended from someone born within the boundaries of what we call Afghanistan an Afghan. But Afghanistan as a nation did not exist until Ahmad Shah Durrani created the Durrani Empire in 1747. The Durrani are a “supertribe” within the Pashtun tribe. President Karzai is a Durrani. Most of the Taliban are Ghilzai. See a problem?

Back to the question: What is an Afghan? Well, to add a little wrinkle to our simple definition, we must understand that within the boundaries of modern Afghanistan there are Pashtun (42%), Tajik (27%), Hazara (9%), Uzbek (9%), Aimak (4%), Turkmen (3%), Baloch (2%) and 4% of “Others” including the Nuristani of the Panjir region who dislike just about everyone else including each other.

Even this breakdown is too simplistic. Within the Pashtun tribe, members of whom extend from the Iranian border on the west to the western provinces of Pakistan, there are nine “supertribes” including: Durrani, Ghilzai, Shinwari, Daulatzai, Dotani Qbayil, Gorya Khel, Kakar, Khostwal, and Mangal. In addition to the “supertribes” there are 13 smaller tribes. Within the “supertribes” are further divisions of clans and minor tribes. Of course all these “supertribes” have competing interests.

The Durrani have traditionally ruled Afghanistan since 1747. That is until they were supplanted by the Ghilzai in a bloody coup in 1978. Remember, Karzai is a Durrani and most of the Taliban are Ghilzai. Remember badal. A quick look at where most of the reconstruction efforts have been spent as far as Pashtun regions is concerned, and a pattern starts to emerge. So, are we surprised that things don’t cleanly come together?

We have not even begun to discuss the other ethnicities in this fracas, or the religious differences that come into play, even before we talk about direct involvement by outside powers (the US, NATO, Pakistan, India or Iran).

So, in Afghanistan it isn’t as simple as “hunting down the terrorists” at all. There are complex issues at play outside of Islamic militancy or hatred of invaders. Understanding this basic fact is important. Afghanistan may never be “fixed” by Western standards. Getting it to function more or less as a nation most of the time may be the best we can do here. And that is OK.

In the words of T.E. Lawrence aka Lawrence of Arabia (I may not have the quote exactly, but it is one of my favorites): “It is better to let the locals do it in their imperfect way, than for you to do it for them in a perfect way. After all, it is their country and your time is short.”

The Trees of Kabul

The sun is well overhead, but you would not know it by this picture.
The trees almost intertwine over this road.
In places such as this in Kabul where there are one-way streets,
a tree-filled park often fills the space between the roadways.

A couple people have commented on how dry things look here. And yes, especially this time of year, there is not much rain. It spits on occasion – usually in the evening. Most of the precipitation that falls comes in the form of snow…lots of snow…during the winter months. There are, however, well-stocked aquifers below the surface. The problem is getting it to the surface in quantities useful for agriculture. The Afghans once had that problem fixed, but first the Mongols (back in the 1200's) and then the Soviets wrecked the irrigation systems.

A broad one-way avenue with a park to the left and vendor's stalls placed beneath the trees on the right. Note the wet pavement on the right. Kabul residents tend to be a bit free with water since they have it in abundance. Even with the city six times larger than before the wars, there is no shortage of water.

A closeup of the jungle, I mean park, just off the roadway.

Villages tend to be built where the water is closer to the surface and therefore easier to extract. Kabul has existed for perhaps 3,000 – 5,000 years. The city is near the base of the Hindu Kush next to the Kabul River, which during summer months is little more than a stream. The city benefits from the spring snow melt, but much of the water disappears below the surface long before it reaches Kabul. However, that water still reaches Kabul because the city sits on top of a very large aquifer. The aquifer is so close to the surface that trees – large trees – thrive here.

This median is filled with trees, though some of the older ones in this picture bear the scars of war. The median is at best six feet wide. If it is possible to grow a tree at all in a particular patch of soil, the Kabul residents will plant one there and nurture it.

Kabul once had many more trees, but the Soviets cut down most for security reasons (the mujahadeen hid in them to snipe at the Soviets). After the Soviets left and the warlords fell to fighting one another, the city was shelled for almost three straight years from 1993 to 1996, destorying or damaging more trees. Then when the Taliban was in power, they paid little attention to planting new trees. Since the Taliban’s fall, trees are being planted at a dizzying pace.

Another tree-filled neighborhood.

Most of my earlier pictures haven’t shown lots of trees, or they were of the smallish variety. So today I’m putting up pictures of tree-lined streets and parks. Afghans love their trees, but Kabul residents take that love to a different level. They are exceedingly proud of their trees – rather like proud parents. The fact that the Soviets cut down so many trees almost angers the locals more than all the other damage.

Late afternoon sun barely touches this Kabul street.
The overall effect of so many trees is that Kabul is cooler than it
may have been otherwise regardless of altitude.

Just Some Pictures...With Commentary

Here are just a collection of Kabul area pictures. I'm including some commentary beneath the pictures.

Donkey-power is still important even in Kabul.
In addition to all the cars, trucks, buses and bicycles; carts pulled or pushed by donkey, horse, or man are still an important means to move products.

A close-up of the Kabul "cliff-houses".
These are not the poorest residents of Kabul.

Burkha'd women shopping at the bazaar.
Note how the woman on the left is in the process of raising her burkha.
Note that the younger woman to her right is not wearing a burkha.
You see quite a mix at the bazaar.

Three school girls. This is the standard uniform for school girls in Kabul.
These girls are departing one of the local high schools.

The newly opened Kabul-Dubai Wedding Hall on the outskirts of downtown.

One of several new mosques going up all over Kabul.

This is the Kabul headquarters of the Dubai-owned Etisalat (telecommunications company).
The U.A.E are a major financial contributor to many construction projects in Kabul.

Look carefully at the signs above the shops. COKE...it's everywhere.
Even more significant is the attractive young woman with uncovered head smiling and holding a coke bottle.

Some fashion news.
In this picture you see several men. Three are wearing Western-style cargo pants with "safari vests" and short-sleeve shirts. Two of those are wearing baseball caps. The others are attired in more traditional clothing. The key point is that the choice of clothing here, like just about everywhere, is generational. The three dressed in Western attire are all young men in their twenties. The others are older men.