No Fun To Be Had Under The Taliban

The Longest War: Photos from Afghanistan
Interviews by Kim Barker
In March, the war in Afghanistan will become the lengthiest military conflict in U.S. history. As our country’s involvement escalated, we asked 11 photojournalists to select the one image that sums up their experience covering the war. Here, the pictures they chose, and why.


Kabul, 2001
John Stanmeyer spent much of the last decade documenting the political and social changes in Indonesia. He traveled to Afghanistan in 2001, returning five or six times.

"This picture happened the day after the Taliban fled Kabul. I had followed the Northern Alliance progression down from Kunduz in the north. It was as if we were driving through the wrinkles of God's hands. I felt so insignificant passing through those mountains. We arrived in Kabul and saw this breath of fresh air. It was suddenly a bunch of color walking around, such a contrast to the beige dirt everywhere in Afghanistan and the men all wearing those same beige outfits. The only color was that blue of the burka. Under the Taliban regime, there were no kites, no balloons, no music, no TVs. This picture signifies hope, life, celebration of humanness. Having colors, balloons, kites, and music was a monumental shift. Where did this man get the helium?"

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