At a conference in Kabul more than a decade ago, an Afghan elder said something that at the time seemed dramatic, but which has made more sense over the years. From southern Afghanistan, known as the Taliban heartland, his family had suffered a lot of losses at the hands of both the Taliban and the American military.
‘The US military invasion of our country [in 2001] was like getting stabbed,’ he said. ‘You bleed upon impact, but how the knife is pulled out determines the seriousness of your wound and chances of survival.’
