ESSENTIAL FIELD GUIDES to humanitarian and conflict zones Afghanistan Fourth Edition--Fully Revised 2014 Edited by Edward Girardet and Jonathan Walter Co-Editor William Dowell “The 4th edition of the Essential Field Guide to Afghanistan is dedicated to Alfredo Witschi-Cestari (1948-2012), an inspirational and moving force behind international efforts to help Afghans bring peace and prosperity to their country.” Crosslines Essential Media (UK), Ltd Geneva & London www.efgafghan.com First published in Geneva, Switzerland by CROSSLINES Publications Copyright © 1998, © 2004, © 2005 and © 2014. Edward Girardet & Jona- than Walter Co-editor: 2014 editions. William Dowell Cover Photo Credit: Edward Girardet Design and layout: Crosslines Essential Media, Geneva and London. All rights reserved. No part of this book, either its original or revised edi- tions, including the maps and photographs, may be reproduced, trans- mitted or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, internet or computer reproduction, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Brief extracts for review purposes for inclu- sion in critical reviews or articles are permitted. Although every effort has been made to ensure the correctness of the information in this book, the publishers and authors do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party for any use or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information, or any travel problem caused by information in this guide, even if such errors or omissions are the result of negligence, accident, or any other cause. The editors are responsible for the choice and presentation of the facts con- tained in this book and for the opinions expressed herein, which are not necessarily those of select donors such the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Netherlands, the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, the Smith Rich- ardson Foundation, the Swiss Development Corporation, Sarah Lawrence College, Media Action International, CROSSLINES, US Mission in Kabul, Fetzer Institute or any other co-sponsor or publisher of this book, and do not commit these organizations in any way. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not rep- resent the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the spon- sors concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Distribution by Crosslines Essential Media (UK) Ltd and Partners. Please address all enquiries to: CROSSLINES Essential Field Guides, Editorial Bureau C-517, Pal- ais des Nations, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland. Email: editors@efgaf- ghan.com Websites: www.efgafghan.com and www.essentialfield- guides.com ISBN: 978-2-9700923-0-8 Table of Contents Acknowledgements Editors Preface Maps I. OVERVIEW Introduction Edward Girardet & Peter Jouvenal The Great Game Revisited Ahmed Rashid Exploring the Origins of the Taliban John Butt The Recovery Challenge Renata Dwan & Michael Keating ISAF: Who Calls the shots Post-2014 Peter Foot & Victoria Porell Learning to Live with IEDs Tim Weaver Afghanistan: A replay of Vietnam? William Dowell On the Trail of Britain’s Greatest Afghan Disaster William Darymple The Refugees Peter Marsden ...as political pawns ...a refugee chronology Lack of Justice: A driver of instability Norah Niland Women and The Barriers of Tradition Christina Lamb INSPIRE: Afghanistan’s Hannah Montana Afghan Culture: Then and Now Whitney Azoy INSPIRE: Babur Gardens Ethnic and Tribal Groups Ali Wardak Government: Assuming Responsibility Kate Clark Afghan Media: The Key to Transparency Jean MacKenzie Afghan History: Foreign Invasions, Brutal Wars Chris Bowers ...the Soviet War: A quagmire that sapped Moscow’s strength An Afghan Timeline II. INFOBRIEFS Agriculture: Key to the Nation Anthony Fitzherbert INSPIRE: The chicken or the egg? Al Qaeda in Afghanistan Jason Burke Aid After the Taliban Edward Girardet Children at Risk Joanna de Berry INSPIRE: Skateistan BUZKASHI: A game of control Whitney Azoy Drugs: The opium poppy conundrum William Dowell Addicted to numbers: Lies, Damn lies and Drug Statistics David Mansfield The Durand Line: Unfinished Business Charles Norchi The Economy: From aid to sustainability Edward Girardet ....Gems, Falcons and Cultural Artifacts The Environment: Saving What Is Left Edward Girardet ...Water and the Hindu Kush ... Air Pollution: Dust, cars and smog Afghanistan’s Disappearing Forests Edward Girardet INSPIRE: Band-e-Amir National Park INSPIRE: Alberto Cairo and the ICRC’s Orthopedic Centres Struggle for Dignity: Why human rights count Charles Norchi INSPIRE: Rebuilding Afghan Culture:The Nancy Dupree Initiative Language & Poetry Whitney Azoy ...The Landays Phenomenon ...Khalilullah Khalili Foreign Media: A lack of balance Jean MacKenzie INSPIRE: The Afghan Media Resource Center Nick B. Mills Mineral Resources: Ore, Ore better than War, War Edward Girardet ...China’s Aynak Copper Mine The National Solidarity Programme Naheed Mustafa Private Military Contractors: Dogs of War? William Dowell Security Tips Graham Flood-Hunt Urban Recovery or Chaos? Jolyon Leslie Inspire: Saving Afghanistan’s Heritage Edward Girardet Women’s Rights Sharifa Sharif Women in conflict & peace building Alfredo Witschi Cestari INSPIRE: Daring to speak out Afghan Youth: A neglected resource Lola Cecchinel III. TRAVEL Travel by Air ...Flying to Afghanistan under the Taliban Travel Overland IV. REGIONS The Central Region Kabul ... Getting there ....Getting around .... Aid Agencies INSPIRE: Kabul at work Kabul A-Z Accommodation & Food Guest Houses Eating out Local Rules Security Information A Note of Caution about Alcohol Emergencies Embassies & Visas Medical Post & Telecommunications Shopping Sights in Kabul Then...a letter from Kabul, July 15 2003 Dominic Medley ...and now. Departure, Autumn 2013 Michael Keating INSPIRE: Tourism in Afghanistan Levison Woods The Northern Region Mazar-e-Sharif ....Getting there ....From Kabul to Mazar overland (425 kilometres) Lala Gul Jonathan Walter Mazar A-Z Bullet to Ballot - Then and Now Jonathan Walter Sights in Mazar-e-Sharif The South Kandahar ....Getting there Kandahar A-Z ....Sights in Kandahar The East Jalalabad ....Getting there ....Orientation & getting around Nuristan Land of Light Jonathan Walter Jalalabad A-Z The West Herat ....Getting there ....Orientation & getting Around Herat A-Z Sights in Herat V. THE ESSENTIAL A-Z The Basics Clothing & Kit Festivals & Holidays Health & Medical The 5 Fs of Dysentery ...Essential Contacts Journalism & Reporting News Reporting in Afghanistan Taliban Logic: The Pushtun Psyche New Home, New Life Security ....Kidnapping DOs and DON’Ts IEDs & Suicide Bombers Traditions & Customs ....Basic Rules Women VI. KEY PLAYERS ...Meeting Karzai VII. CONTACTS VIII. Glossary Publicity Acknowledgements The Editors would like to thank the following sponsors and co- sponsors for their generous support since 1998. Principal Sponsors and Co-Sponsors • The Smith Richardson Foundation, Westport, Connecticut • Embassy of the Royal Government of the Netherlands in Afghanistan • Swiss Development Corporation, Kabul, Afghanistan & Bern, Switzerland • The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, Kabul, • Media Action International (MAI), Geneva, Switzerland (Now the Media Action International Journalism Network) • The Fetzer Institute, Kalamazoo, MI., USA • US Embassy, Kabul, Afghanistan We would like to thank all the aid agencies and their representatives, journalists, donors, peacekeepers, human rights lawyers, academics and private citizens, including numerous Afghan friends and colleagues, who have assisted with suggestions, critiques, a bed at night, food and tea at the most unexpected mo- ments, transport, protection, and other forms of support and hospitality. While we cannot even begin to name all those who have gone be- yond the call of duty, we would like to thank the following for guid- ance in putting together this and previous editions: Ali Wardak, Andrew Wilder, Ascension Martinez, Bahram Barzin, Dan Kelly, Dawn Greene, Desmond Charles, Farhana Faroukhi, Firoten Ghausuddin, Ian McClellan, Jan-Erik Wänn, Jim Williams, Jo de Ber- ry, Lala Gul, Mark Rowland, Tim Winch. We would like to thank Jeff Danziger for sharing with us his great cartoons, Joe Crowley of AIMS for supplying maps, the International Federa- tion of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for the use of Thorkell Thorkels- son’s wonderful photographs, and Wolf Marloh for his slide scanning services. We’d also like to thank the tireless and largely voluntary efforts of Beth an Montague-Brown, Isabelle Lehouck, Katja Flueckiger, Kristen Eichensehr, Mo- hammed Shuaib, Nora Geiger, Sue Pfiffner, Smruti Patel, Todd Biffard, Voltaire Casino,Nikki Meith, Amaury Coste and Marilu D’Onofrio. Many thanks, too, to Charles Norchi for his constant advice and support and a special thanks to Emily Pantalone and Mark Rafferty, enthusiastic interns from Tufts University, Boston. Editors for the 4th Edition Edward Girardet (co-founding editor) is a journalist and writer who has reported widely from humanitarian and conflict zones worldwide. As a foreign correspondent for the Christian Sci- ence Monitor and The PBS NewsHour, he began covering Afghani- stan prior to the Soviet invasion in 1979. He has made numerous trips to the region, many of them clandestinely. His latest book, the award-winning Killing