Dead Taliban in Chora
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(A raw, unedited note from war.)
Men lining up to pay respects to killed Taliban
27 February 2011
The places have names like Sangin, Arghandab, Panjwai, Now Zad, Musa Qala, Korengal Valley, Pech Valley, Tarin Kot, or Chora. Names that mean almost nothing to most people, but everything to others. British, American, Dutch, Canadian, Australian, and others from far and wide, have fought and died in these places. Some lost arms, legs, eyes, their buddies, and sometimes their sanity, on these battlefields.
It’s hard to believe we’ve been at war here almost ten years. And so I am continuing a long tour of Afghanistan to discover what is going on here.
Today, I accompanied members of Central Asia Development Group (CADG). We drove from the town of Tarin Kot to the violent village of Chora. A quick web search for Chora will reveal countless articles about the heavy fighting. We took an extremely dangerous stretch of road. We saw nary a soldier, though I am told many have died here. Leonard Grami, the Urozgan Provincial Manager for CADG, reckons well over a hundred troops and Afghans have died on this stretch in the last 14 months, including some last week and last night.
Somehow we made it to Chora and saw that the USAID project seems to be doing fine, but while the managers checked the work, Afghan authorities dumped the body of a Taliban killed last night in nearby in fighting. They dumped him at a “traffic circle” underneath what they call “the steeple.” Men and boys flocked to the body and were so tight around him that they must have been almost stepping on him. When we arrived, they pulled back for a moment, and I made a panorama of these dangerous men. Danger was thick in the air so we did not stay long, and then we headed back across the desert to Tarin Kot.
Please take time to examine this panorama by scrolling around and using the controls or mouse to zoom in and out. Look at the faces of these men, and you’ll see the faces of Taliban.
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Comments
Hostile. Tensions were serious. I could feel the electricity snapping in that crowd. Some clearly were there paying respects. Others I do not know.
Might be time for our face recognition people to go to work, if they have enough to examine.
Thanks for putting yourself out there again. Stay safe.
you be carefull out there. you have walked through the gates of hell.
Incredible picture.
Stay Safe!
Leyla
You takes extremely high risks at the time. When I read your notes, watch on your pictures I realize that that is the way to go. You make the difference. Like our troops out there. I know you good enough, that I can be sure, that you choose your words with respect, without sensation greed and your pictures are that, how a former Special Former has see it. Thank you for the risk you take, for your personal sacrifice and your outstanding brave, like I know it from Iraq. Take good care of you and watch your 6! Looking forward .....Claudia
Anyway, keep up the good work, Michael, and stay safe. That picture invokes strong feelings, especially for those of us who have been there before--yet again, another good picture!
Until women play a role in Afghan society, we will not see any progress towards it being a true civilization, and that's a shame.
Please send me your email address and I will take care of it myself. NONE OF YOUR COMMENTS HAVE BEEN DELETED.
“What we figured out is that people in the Pech really aren’t anti-U.S. or anti-anything; they just want to be left alone,” “Our presence is what’s destabilizing this area.” - http://nyti.ms/f98C8p
Same as Jeff here. I paid for an autographed copy ofthe prepaid book when you first announced it. I know you're good for it, so not sweating here.
As far as the photo: WOW! That pic is one of the best I've ever seen. One thing that is very striking is the absence of women and girls. Not one.
These men are at war with us, no doubt. I'm glad you were able to get out with your head.
Let me know about the bood my friend. It will be worth the wait.
As for the book, which I also ordered, don't sweat it. Delays are inevitable, especially when you're on the other side of the world doing amazing work, work we get to experience for free.
Keep up the excellent work!
I take it you did not have the opportunity to ask if the recently deceased was from the village. Still a haunting image.
I can't believe that you have to deal with customer service issues about your book. I think that the majority of us that ordered the book understand about delays and that you are a little busy.
Keep up the great work.
I couldn't get a pan either with Firefox or Safari. I'll try with IE at work tomorrow.
I think people have to realize there's no "Against Us or For us," as well as the fact Vietnam never send a dozen people who did billions of damage. Afghanistan is Afghanistan. It's not Vietnam, Iraq, Somalia, Balkans or a litany of other places where we've (the West) been at war.
It's possible I'll be heading back next month for another year. Hopefully our southern push sets up for a better spring than last year.
http://gigapan.org/gigapans/fullscreen/71603/
Still an awesome sequence of photos, which says a great deal about the pressures found there.
I particularly felt sorry for the boys.
Was happy to help Soilders Angels and look forward to receiving the book, but publisher won't answer my email either.
Keep up the great work. You take some amazing photos and write great stories.
To bad our news media can't be half as productive and informative as you are.
Is this common?
The time to be sorry for them passed by at birth.
This by far is the most telling of photos and by far the one that has told so much. It really is a photo that speaks volumes!
I always feel pity for our enemies though. Some of these guys look like they could be my cousins. Most have no idea what is going on, just that someone they knew is dead. It's from those little things that wars are composed, some men fighting for a cause, some because you are fighting here, and some just because.
But don't mistake me, we have to export civilization to them rather than the other way around. Once again, the US is in a war that is as much about textbooks as bullets.
Hey, tech tip - you can shoot the panoramas in portrait mode, and gigapan will stitch them vertically, export a tiff from the stitcher, rotate it in photoshop, then use the gigapan uploader to post it. Yeoww. Makes my landscape panoramas feel pretty tame...
The cultural approval of using children as soldiers is right in step with the cultural exclusion of women as participating members of the leadership. We Americans are, by no means, socially capable of fully-empowerin g women, ourselves, but we don't exclude to such an extreme extent.
Joe -- I did not receive an email from you but just asked the publisher to contact you. My apologies for the delays with the book. It's an awesome book.
Had to move fast; clearly there was immediate danger of being killed. Got the shot and got out.
I documented what unfolded before me and without comment.
I also noted that a couple of the men held prayer beads. Is it possible that this was an impromptu prayer gathering or funeral?
Great pictures, and the GigaPan process really shows off your incredible eye for detail most of us would miss otherwise. Thank you.
I know you're on the other side of the world, but (excuse me, I cannot resist the opportunity for the line) what we have here is a failure to communicate :-( Isn't there any way for you to address this and post some kind of update for us all, those of us who already paid our ticket and want our dance?
Thanks!
-sry
Thank you. In other photos that I did not publish, clearly some were paying respects to the man who is said to have attacked the police the night before.
I know you're on the other side of the world, but (excuse me, I cannot resist the opportunity for the line) what we have here is a failure to communicate :-( Isn't there any way for you to address this and post some kind of update for us all, those of us who already paid our ticket and want our dance?
Thanks!
-sry[/quote
Sarah,
Am very unhappy with the situation and have passed your message along to the publisher. My apologies.
Michael
I think most people are just grateful you're still alive and posting, to be honest, and not complaining, like me -->> because I'm spoiled!! I have never lost a soldier in 30 years of supporting them so I am sure you are fine and just not sending us your book (kidding; I know it's not in your power). Then again, I have not been supporting you with baked goods so you are going to have to dodge that next bullet on your own!
keep up the good work. Stay out of Harms way. Go,and Go Fast, when your inner voice tells you!
It can be helpful to read closely before commenting... I did not comment about the general population.
I would offer several items for consideration: 1) You said you fought in Chora. Somebody must have been fighting you. Who were they? 2) This dead fighter's body was put in the middle of town and some people clearly were paying
respects. 3) The first two items point strongly toward the idea that at least some people are more than friendly with Taliban.
I'll believe my own eyes as much as I'll believe yours.
Michael Yon
There's quite a few of them turning their backs to your camera, or otherwise hiding their faces. Are they the Taliban?
I don't get it...
Those are dead eyes, very scary.
Thanks for your input if you have time or info.. Chris
Thanks for all that you do. T.
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