Afghanistan Wartime Architecture May 2010
Part 1
 

A U.S. Army soldier with the 1st platoon, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, secures an area in Mainjui village in Arghandab valley where members of the Afghan National Police found an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), some 10 kms (6 miles) northwest of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan May 6, 2010. U.S. forces are massing on the outskirts of Kandahar for the biggest military offensive of the nearly nine-year-old war, in the hope of turning the tide against a strengthening Taliban insurgency. Reuters

UK soldiers walk at a base in Kandahar on May 6, 2010. Two British soldiers from the same regiment were killed in southern Afghanistan on May 3 in separate incidents, one in an explosion and the second in a traffic accident, defence officials said, bringing the British military death toll in Afghanistan to 284 since operations began there in 2001. Getty

U.S. Army Specialist William Lembo from Brooklyn, New York, of the 1st platoon, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, secures an area in Mainjui village in Arghandab valley where members of the Afghan National Police found an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) some 10 kms (6 miles) northwest of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan May 6, 2010. U.S. forces are massing on the outskirts of Kandahar for the biggest military offensive of the nearly nine-year-old war, in the hope of turning the tide against a strengthening Taliban insurgency. Reuters

U.S. Army Specialist William Lembo from Brooklyn, New York, of the 1st platoon, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, secures an area in Mainjui village in Arghandab valley where members of the Afghan National Police found an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), some 10 kms (6 miles) northwest of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan May 6, 2010. U.S. forces are massing on the outskirts of Kandahar for the biggest military offensive of the nearly nine-year-old war, in the hope of turning the tide against a strengthening Taliban insurgency. Reuters

French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux, left, and Afghan Deputy Interior Minister Gen. Mohammad Daud arrive Afghan anti-drug police office in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, May 6, 2010. Hortefeux is on a one-day visit to the Afghan capital where he will meet with French police officers and soldiers who are taking part in the training of Afghan troops. AP

Two Afghan burqa-clad women walk along a street in Kabul on May 6, 2010. Afghanistan is proposing to offer top Taliban leaders exile if they agree to stop fighting against the government under a peace deal being drawn up, a British newspaper reported. The proposal is part of a radical Peace and Reintegration Programme to be presented to tribal leaders at a peace conference or 'jirga' of tribal and political leaders from around Afghanistan later this month, The Guardian said. Getty

Wesley Stewart (R) SGT-402D. BSB 5-2ID, from the US army, plays a fencing game wih Ian Cudmore, master Corporal from Canada, at the in Kandahar base on May 5, 2010. Taliban militants armed with guns and suicide vests unched a coordinated attack on a city in southwestern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing four people, officials said. Police said at least eight attackers took part in the siege on government buildings in Zaranj, the capital of the province of Nimroz, which has seen levels of violence creep up in recent years, and that all were killed. Coordinated attacks targeting the Western-backed government have become increasingly prevalent in Afghanistan, underscoring the increasing sophistication of Taliban-led insurgent attacks nine years into the conflict. AFP PHOTO/Tauseef MUSTAFA. Getty

United States Army Pfc. Jermaine Chambers of Brooklyn, N.Y. , walks through a wheat field just below an outpost while on patrol with 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment of the 5th Stryker Brigade, in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, Wednesday, May 5, 2010. AP

An U.S. Army soldier with 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, secures a road during a patrol in Arghandab valley near Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan May 5, 2010. U.S. forces are massing on the outskirts of Kandahar for the biggest military offensive of the nearly nine-year-old war, in the hope of turning the tide against a strengthening Taliban insurgency. Reuters

U.S. Army Cpt. Patrick Heim from Bonn, Germany with 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment shaves during a sand storm in his base in Arghandab valley, near Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, May 5, 2010. U.S. forces are massing on the outskirts of Kandahar for the biggest military offensive of the nearly nine-year-old war, in the hope of turning the tide against a strengthening Taliban insurgency. Reuters

A U.S. Army soldier with 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment stands guard during a sand storm in his base in Arghandab valley, near Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, May 5, 2010. U.S. forces are massing on the outskirts of Kandahar for the biggest military offensive of the nearly nine-year-old war, in the hope of turning the tide against a strengthening Taliban insurgency. Reuters

U.S. Army Sgt. Paul Sheenan (L) from Boston, Massachusetts, and 1st Lieutenant Ross Weinsienker from Saint Luis, Maryland, both with the 1st platoon Delta Company 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, walk through a village during a patrol at the Arghandab valley near Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, May 4, 2010. U.S. forces are massing on the outskirts of Kandahar for the biggest military offensive of the nearly nine-year-old war, in the hope of turning the tide against a strengthening Taliban insurgency. Reuters

United States Army Pfc. Jermaine Chambers of Brooklyn, N.Y. , right, keeps watch as Pfc. Anthony Chavez, of Houston, Texas, left, Pfc.Patrick Montone, center, of Philadelphia, pass the time while waiting for a thick fog to pass, after it prevented them from going on a morning patrol, in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, Wednesday, May 5, 2010. AP

United States Army Pfc. Jermaine Chambers of Brooklyn, N.Y. , looks out over a fog covered valley from an outpost where he is stationed with 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment of the 5th Stryker Brigade, in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, Wednesday, May 5, 2010. AP

An Afghan boy looks at a U.S. soldier with the 1st platoon Delta Company 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment walking into his village during a patrol at the Arghandab valley near Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, May 4, 2010. U.S. forces are massing on the outskirts of Kandahar for the biggest military offensive of the nearly nine-year-old war, in the hope of turning the tide against a strengthening Taliban insurgency. Reuters

U.S. Army Sgt. Paul Sheenan from Boston, Massachusetts, with the 1st platoon Delta Company 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment secures an intersection at a village during a patrol at the Arghandab valley near Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, May 4, 2010. U.S. forces are massing on the outskirts of Kandahar for the biggest military offensive of the nearly nine-year-old war, in the hope of turning the tide against a strengthening Taliban insurgency. Reuters

A U.S. soldier with the 1st platoon Delta Company 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment walks through a village during a patrol at the Arghandab valley near Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, May 4, 2010. U.S. forces are massing on the outskirts of Kandahar for the biggest military offensive of the nearly nine-year-old war, in the hope of turning the tide against a strengthening Taliban insurgency. Reuters

Afghan children look at U.S. soldiers with the 1st platoon Delta Company 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment during a patrol at the Arghandab valley near Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, May 4, 2010. U.S. forces are massing on the outskirts of Kandahar for the biggest military offensive of the nearly nine-year-old war, in the hope of turning the tide against a strengthening Taliban insurgency. Reuters

Afghan children play near a shrine in Kabul on May 4, 2010. The US military has ordered 850 troops to Afghanistan to fill a shortage of trainers for security forces, as European allies needed more time to deploy their instructors, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Getty

An Afghan woman walks through a cemetery on May 4, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. According to the US military, 850 extra troops are to be sent to Afghanistan to train security forces after their European counterparts admitted to needing more time to deploy theirs. Getty

An Afghan man walks down a hill in the westerns outskirts of Kabul, on May 4, 2010. The US military has ordered 850 troops to Afghanistan to fill a shortage of trainers for security forces, as European allies needed more time to deploy their instructors, the Pentagon said. Getty

An Afghan boy controls the ball near a garbage dump while playing soccer at a cemetery in the westerns outskirts of Kabul, on May 4, 2010. The US military has ordered 850 troops to Afghanistan to fill a shortage of trainers for security forces, as European allies needed more time to deploy their instructors, the Pentagon said. Getty

An Afghan student buys a watermelon at nightfall in the westerns outskirts of Kabul, on May 4, 2010. The US military has ordered 850 troops to Afghanistan to fill a shortage of trainers for security forces, as European allies needed more time to deploy their instructors, the Pentagon said. Getty

An Afghan boy sits on a tomb as he overwatches his friend starting play soccer at a cemetery in the westerns outskirts of Kabul, on May 4, 2010. The US military has ordered 850 troops to Afghanistan to fill a shortage of trainers for security forces, as European allies needed more time to deploy their instructors, the Pentagon said. Getty

Two Afghan women take their way between ruins atop of a hill at nightfall in the westerns outskirts of Kabul, on May 4, 2010. The US military has ordered 850 troops to Afghanistan to fill a shortage of trainers for security forces, as European allies needed more time to deploy their instructors, the Pentagon said. Getty

An Afghan woman (L) stands on her rooftop overlooking Kabul on May 4, 2010. The US military has ordered 850 troops to Afghanistan to fill a shortage of trainers for security forces, as European allies needed more time to deploy their instructors, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Getty

Afghan school girls and boys walk at a cemetery after school time in Kabul on May 4, 2010. The US military has ordered 850 troops to Afghanistan to fill a shortage of trainers for security forces, as European allies needed more time to deploy their instructors, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Getty

United States Army Sgt. John Nieman, right, of Cedar Park, Texas, waits to stoke the fire as other members of 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment of the 5th Stryker Brigade watch and wait for their dinner of beans and canned chicken to cook Tuesday, May 4, 2010, in Afghanistan's Kandahar province. AP

Javeed Amir, a 2-year-old Afghan boy, is helped by his mother Aneesa to practice walking in his new supportive splints at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) orthopedic center in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 3, 2010. Javeed has walking disability from birth. In Afghanistan the Red Cross runs six orthopedic centers, in Kabul, Golbahar, Jalalabad, Faizabad, Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif. The ICRC orthopedic rehabilitation program consists both in assisting patients through physical therapy and in promoting social rehabilitation through job placements. AP

U.S. Army Pfc. Jermaine Chambers of Brooklyn, N.Y. , with Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment of the 5th Stryker Brigade, reads a magazine in the shade of a bunker at a forward base Monday, May 3, 2010, in Afghanistan's Kandahar province. AP

An Afghan family walks down a street in Kabul on May 2, 2010. A soldier serving with NATO's International Security Assistance Force died following an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan on May 2, the military said. The ISAF statement did not reveal the soldier's nationality, in line with alliance policy. Getty

An Afghan youth chases pigeons with a net on the rooftop of his house in the old section of Kabul on May 2, 2010. A British soldier died in an explosion in southern Afghanistan while protecting fellow troops as they returned from a patrol, officials said May 2. The soldier, from 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment, was serving with 40 Commando Royal Marines Battle Group and died near a patrol base in Sangin, Helmand Province. Getty

Afghans are seen at a traditional market in Kabul on May 1, 2010. The Afghan government on April 30 accused foreign forces of killing two women and a girl, the latest in a long list of civilians mistakenly killed by US-led troops fighting the Taliban. The interior ministry said the victims were travelling on a highway in southern Afghanistan, a flashpoint in a nearly nine-year war, when foreign troops opened fire, killing three of the five civilians in the car. Getty

An Afghan vendor (L) walks through a street in the old city of Kabul on May 1, 2010. The Afghan government on April 30 accused foreign forces of killing two women and a girl, the latest in a long list of civilians mistakenly killed by US-led troops fighting the Taliban. The interior ministry said the victims were travelling on a highway in southern Afghanistan, a flashpoint in a nearly nine-year war, when foreign troops opened fire, killing three of the five civilians in the car. Getty

An Afghan bird seller walks down a street in the old city of Kabul on May 1, 2010. The Afghan government on April 30 accused foreign forces of killing two women and a girl, the latest in a long list of civilians mistakenly killed by US-led troops fighting the Taliban. The interior ministry said the victims were travelling on a highway in southern Afghanistan, a flashpoint in a nearly nine-year war, when foreign troops opened fire, killing three of the five civilians in the car. Getty

An Afghan girl stands outside a female hairdressing salon on a commercial street in Kabul on May 1, 2010. The Afghan government on April 30 accused foreign forces of killing two women and a girl, the latest in a long list of civilians mistakenly killed by US-led troops fighting the Taliban. The interior ministry said the victims were travelling on a highway in southern Afghanistan, a flashpoint in a nearly nine-year war, when foreign troops opened fire, killing three of the five civilians in the car. Getty

An Afghan man talks on his mobile phone in front of a construction site in Kabul on May 1, 2010. The Afghan government on April 30 accused foreign forces of killing two women and a girl, the latest in a long list of civilians mistakenly killed by US-led troops fighting the Taliban. The interior ministry said the victims were travelling on a highway in southern Afghanistan, a flashpoint in a nearly nine-year war, when foreign troops opened fire, killing three of the five civilians in the car. Getty

An Afghan street meat seller waits for customers in Kabul on May 1, 2010. The Afghan government on April 30 accused foreign forces of killing two women and a girl, the latest in a long list of civilians mistakenly killed by US-led troops fighting the Taliban. The interior ministry said the victims were travelling on a highway in southern Afghanistan, a flashpoint in a nearly nine-year war, when foreign troops opened fire, killing three of the five civilians in the car. Getty