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January 19, 2005

Humanizing the Beast

Keirón Allen is a photographer and journalist working in Afghanistan.

Humanising a beast - the American military, from the less-than-propitiously named "Opendemocracy" site, is a fascinating photo-essay, with an equally-fascinating narrative:

I was keen on this visit to Afghanistan to avoid adding to the number of "death and destruction" pictures and look for images of “hope and humour� in the hope of humanising both sides. This chapter, one of five in total, looks at the American military. Initially sceptical of this beast, my experience of the troops at the forward area of Khost (near the Pakistan border, and former al-Qaida stronghold) was one at odds with the view held by most people I meet in the west. Yes, they were expert at killing and capturing the enemy, but they were also accomplished at being policemen and diplomats. 19-year-old soldiers were learning Dari and Pashtu. These soldiers held the dual belief that they were fighting for both the dead in downtown Manhattan and the people of Afghanistan.
Worth a look.

Posted by Mitch at January 19, 2005 05:33 AM | TrackBack
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