©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

A man uses a tiny hand-tool to dig deeper down the bottom of a well in a refugee camp near Herat, while a relative pulls the mud up to the surface in buckets on June 3, 2007 in Herat, Afghanistan. As underground water levels are decreasing, the older wells tend to run dry, some even collapse, requiring tedious regular maintenance work from locals. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

Men chat in a refugee camp outside the city of Herat close to the Iranian border on June 3, 2007 in Afghanistan. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain completely insecure, and even heavily armed NATO forces are reluctant to travel on them. Although they are still celebrated as success stories, in

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

A family has a picnic on a spring afternoon March 20, 2007 near the city of Balkh, Afghanistan. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain completely insecure, and even heavily armed NATO forces are reluctant to travel on them. Although they are still celebrated as success stories, in reality they

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

A little girl balances a bucket of water as she scales the steep hillside to her house on March 31, 2007 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Kabul ran out of available building sites within the city, so those who fled earlier, but moved back to the capital after the war were mostly forced to dwell on the mountain side, where the lack of water pipes, sewage and waste management is making living conditions increasingly worse. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a r

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

Little girls stand next to a tree at the Blue Mosque while Afghanistan celebrates another hard new year on March 21, 2007 in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain completely insecure, and even heavily armed NATO forces are reluctant to travel on them. Although they are

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

Men work at a building site behind a shop where downscaled replicas of the Buddhas of Bamiyan are waiting for interested buyers on June 5, 2007 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain completely insecure, and even heavily armed NATO forces are reluctant to travel on them. Alth

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

An Afghan patient walks the corridors at Kabul's run-down mental health and detoxification hospital on March 27, 2007 in Kabul, Afghanistan. As the only governmental psychiatric facility in Afghanistan's capital city this rehab has only 40 beds for patients. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain c

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

A man prays on top of the abandoned British fortress above Kabul, Afghanistan on March 29, 2007. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain completely insecure, and even heavily armed NATO forces are reluctant to travel on them. Although they are still celebrated as success stories, in reality

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

A refugee man washes the feet of his mentally handicapped son in front of their temporary shelter on March 26, 2007 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The family of seven is forced to live in a tiny flat. The entire refugee family of seven shares this single room in Kabul. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

A nomadic Afghani woman washes up the dishes in a tent camp on July 2, 2007 on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. The inhabitants of the camp make a living out of selling their hand-made beaded jewelry or by mere begging. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain completely insecure, and even heavil

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

Afghan children dance in the rain near the flooded banks of River Kabul on March 31, 2007 in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan. The river dries up for a large part of the year. Citizen choke it with trash, use it as a toilet or have some animals graze in its empty bed. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads rema

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

Young men burn the plastic coating off cables at a junkyard on March 18, 2007 in Kabul, Afghanistan. They will sell the reusable metal parts later. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain completely insecure, and even heavily armed NATO forces are reluctant to travel on them. Although they are still cel

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

Refugee children of Kabul play in front of the rundown house that provides them with temporary shelter on March 26, 2007 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain completely insecure, and even heavily armed NA

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

Canadian soldiers from the India company, 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment fight alongside Afghan National Army soldiers at the launch of a predawn assault on a suspected Taliban stronghold in Sangsar, Khari District, Kandahar province, Afghanistan on June 20, 2007. Under cover of darkness, they maneuver through dense fields of grapes, poppy, and six foot tall marijuana plants. As they close in on their target area, they encounter fierce resistance from AK47, machine gun, and RPGs, rocket propelled grenades, from a series of mudhut compounds. The running battle which ensues lasts for four hours. Despite intense and repeated fire from small arms, tanks, and close air support (A10 attack planes, F15s, and Apache attack helicopters, the besieged Taliban fighters launch a dozen counter attacks over the course of the battle. Three ANA soldiers and two Canadian soldier are wounded and at least 15 Taliban fighters are reported killed. Caches of weapons, including RPGs, ammunition, and explosives are recovered from the overrun Taliban positions. As they return to their base, the Canadian soldiers learn that 3 fellow soldiers from a nearby sister company were just killed in an IED attack. These latest deaths bring the Canadian forces to a total of 60 dead, mostly in Kandahar province, where Canada has led military operations for the past 18 months. To verify or clear this information for OpSec, please contact Major Dale MacEachern, Canadian Public Information Officer, Kandahar Air Base, local telephone +93 70 896 796, email: MacEachern.dr2@forces.gc.ca

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

Children play football in the Old Town area on March 17, 2007 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain completely insecure, and even heavily armed NATO forces are reluctant to travel on them. Although they are still celebrated as success stories, in reality they are either controlled or

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

Canadian soldiers from India company, 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment secure the site around a burning fuel tanker that was hit by an RPG and small arms fire by Taliban on the highway in Kandahar province, Afghanistan on June 18, 2007. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain completely insecure, and even hea

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

A man browses through the trash in inner Kabul on March 18, 2007 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain completely insecure, and even heavily armed NATO forces are reluctant to travel on them. Although they are still celebrated as success stories, in reality they are eithe

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

A man talks to a boy in the disintegrating center of town on March 18, 2007 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain completely insecure, and even heavily armed NATO forces are reluctant to travel on them. Although they are still celebrated as success stories, in reality they are eith

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

Pigeons fly over the Turquoise Mosque as pilgrims visit the Holy Shrine on the day of Islamic New Year Naw-Roz on March 21, 2007 in Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain completely insecure, and even heavily armed NATO forces are reluctant to travel on them. Although

©Balazs Gardi/VII Network

Two boys search the streets of the Old Town for reusable pieces of trash, such as paper or aluminum boxes on March 18, 2007 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban is the dominant force in more than half of Afghanistan. Much of the rural areas, the district centres, the main roads and huge territories in between were retaken (or sometimes in fact never lost) by the Taliban since the US led war in 2001. The territory controlled by the Taliban has increased and the frontline is getting closer to Kabul. Despite tens of thousands of NATO-led troops and billions of dollars in aid poured into the country the Taliban effectively blocks or co-opts most positive development. The Afghan opium production has flourished in the past two years and now represents 92 percent of the world's supply. This illegal trade yields an estimated USD 3,000,000,000 that fuels the Taliban, local warlords and their private armies, and "foreign fighters" who travel unchecked across Afghanistan's porous borders. Hardly any of this drug money benefits the larger population. They remain desperately poor, unable to shake off either the Taliban rule, or rid themselves of the dependence on opium production. Opium provides the only viable income in many areas. The central government's Drug Eradication Force is a 600-strong unarmed police agency that cannot possibly take on a problem of this scale. NATO officials have openly described their own counter-narcotics efforts as a failure, and speak of the current approach as one of "strategic patience". The Taliban have set up a professional network of routes for smuggling drugs and weapons and they now move almost freely into and around Afghanistan. Although a ring-road highway was partly built and reconstructed from international aid to connect the major cities and to foster transportation and trade, the roads remain completely insecure, and even heavily armed NATO forces are reluctant to travel on them. Although they are still c