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  • 4
    Apr
    2012
    7:27pm, EDT

    Lifting the veil on Afghanistan's female addicts

    Left: A drug addict in Kabul smokes for an additional kick after injecting himself with heroin, Aug. 2007. Image: Saurabh Das / AP
    Right: An Afghan woman holds up opium as she attends a counseling session at the Nejat drug rehabilitation center, Jan. 2012. Image: Ahmad Masood / Reuters

    Reuters reports: Anita lifted the sky-blue burqa from her face, revealing glazed eyes and cracked lips from years of smoking opium, and touched her saggy belly, still round from giving birth to her seventh child a month ago.

    "I can't give breast milk to my baby," said the 32-year-old Anita, "I'm scared he'll get addicted.”

    Left: Male drug addicts sit in the detox room at the Kabul Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center, Sept. 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Image: Paula Bronstein / Getty Images
    Right: Female drug addicts visit the Nejat drug rehabilitation center in Kabul, Jan. 2012. Image: Ahmad Masood / Reuters

    While it is not uncommon to see men shooting up along the banks of the dried up Kabul riverbed in broad daylight, women in the ultra-conservative culture of Muslim Afghanistan are expected to stay out of public view for the most part. They often have to seek permission from a male relative or husband to leave their home, and when they do they are encased in the head-to-toe burqa.

    No estimates are available on how many women are addicted to opium or heroin. Nejat estimates around 60,000 women in Afghanistan regularly take illegal drugs, including hashish and marijuana. Full story

    Left: An Afghan drug addict smokes heroin in the city of Ghazni west of Kabul, Afghanistan. Aug. 2007. Image: Musadeq Sadeq / AP
    Right: A woman addict sits cross-legged during a counseling session at the Nejat drug rehabilitation center, Jan. 2012. Image: Ahmad Masood / Reuters

    Left: An Afghan policeman stands behind a pile of burning illegal narcotics in Kabul, April 2009.
    Right: A drug addict waits for her turn to see doctors at the Nejat drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, Jan. 2012. Images: Ahmad Masood / Reuters

    Left: Afghan farmers work in an opium poppy field in Nawa district of Helmand province, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, April 2009. Image: Abdul Khaleq / AP
    Right: A drug addict holds her child as she visits the Nejat drug rehabilitation center, Jan. 2012. Image: Ahmad Masood / Reuters

    Left: A doctor gives advice to a new detox patient in the Nejat detox program at the Kabul Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center, Sept. 2009 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Image: Paula Bronstein / Getty Images
    Right: An Afghan doctor explains the use of condoms to a group of women addicts at a counseling session at the Nejat drug rehabilitation center, Jan. 2012. Ahmad Masood / Reuters

    More photos from Afghanistan on PhotoBlog

    PhotoBlog: Saffron replacing heroin?

    More photos from Afghanistan in our slideshow: Nation at a crossroads

    Follow @msnbc_pictures

    56 comments

    I'd be on drugs too, being female in that hole.

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    Explore related topics: afghanistan, world-news, addiction, heroin, opium, drug-use
  • 2
    Apr
    2012
    2:50pm, EDT

    Rhode Island National Guardsman, killed while saving an Afghan boy, is laid to rest in Providence

    Stew Milne / AP

    Rhode Island National Guard commander Maj. Gen. Kevin McBride, right, presents a flag to Dennis Weichel , left, father of guardsman National Guard Sgt. Dennis Weichel Jr., during funeral services at the state Veterans Cemetery in Exeter, R.I. on April 2, 2012.

    Stew Milne / AP

    An honor guard carries the remains of Sgt. Dennis Weichel Jr. to his burial plot.

    Turnto10.com reported on Monday:

    Rhode Island National Guard commander Kevin McBride said Monday that Sgt. Dennis Weichel Jr. had "the courage of a warrior" and "the heart of a father."

    The Providence resident was struck and killed by an armored vehicle March 22 after moving an Afghan boy to safety who was trying to retrieve something under the vehicle.

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    Stew Milne / AP

    Nicholas Weichel, son of Sgt. Dennis Weichel Jr., stands next to his father's casket during funeral services.

    2 comments

    God bless this soldier. He did what he would have done for his own son. It is so sad that he had to die by his own troopers actions that they did not see or were unable to stop? It is so sad. I thought it was a young girl, not a boy, but it does not matter.

    Show more
    Explore related topics: afghanistan, providence, rhode-island, national-guard, us-news, featured, dennis-weichel-jr
  • 30
    Mar
    2012
    8:09am, EDT

    Gathering wood in Afghanistan

    Johannes Eisele / AFP - Getty Images

    An Afghan carries a bundle of wood in Nahr-i Sufi near the DHQ (Char Dara District Police Headquarter) in the province of Kunduz on March 30. The Afghan economy has always been based on agriculture, despite the fact that only 13 percent of its total land is arable and just eight percent is currently cultivated.

    By Phaedra Singelis, NBC News

    I was struck by the beauty and simplicity of this photos. Sometime texture and composition come together in a photograph in way  that can be reminiscent of paintings or poems. See more photos from Afghanistan in our slideshow.

    Slideshow: Afghanistan: Nation at a crossroads

    Jangir / AFP - Getty Images

    More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.

    Launch slideshow

     

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    Explore related topics: afghanistan, world-news
  • 21
    Mar
    2012
    12:40pm, EDT

    Colorful balloons welcome the first day of Spring in Afghanistan

    Ahmad Jamshid / AP

    Afghans stand at Naderkhan hill hoping to sell balloons in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, March 21, 2012. Nowruz marks the first day of spring.

    See more spring related pictures in PhotoBlog.

     

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    •Sign up for the msnbc.com Photos Newsletter

    Comment

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    Explore related topics: afghanistan, weather, balloon, world-news
  • 20
    Mar
    2012
    6:01pm, EDT

    Soldiers leave families for Afghanistan

    Bill Tiernan / The Virginian-Pilot via AP

    Army PFC Forrest Miller kisses his son Parker Miller, 6-months old, held by his wife Britney Miller with the couples' daughter, Jaslene Miller, 4, before Miller boards a bus with other members of the 119th Inland Cargo Transfer Company.

    Bill Tiernan / TheVirginian-Pilot via AP

    Army 2nd Lt. Brendan Kasony and his wife Joyce say their goodbyes.

    Bill Tiernan / The Virginian-Pilot via AP

    Army Spec. Aaron Peterson holds his son, Amir,10-months old, over his head as he says goodbye on March 20.

    Family and friends say goodbye to 160 soldiers with the 119th Inland Cargo Transfer Company today as they depart the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Va. for a year-long deployment to Afghanistan.

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    Explore related topics: army, afghanistan, military, virginia, us-news
  • 20
    Mar
    2012
    6:26am, EDT

    Afghans celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year

    Nowruz, the Persian New Year, has been celebrated for over 3,000 years. Coinciding with the spring equinox, it is marked in parts of the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions. 

    Musadeq Sadeq / AP

    A musician plays an instrument called a dombura at a celebration of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in Kabul, Afghanistan on March 20, 2012.

    Musadeq Sadeq / AP

    A couple sits on a hill overlooking a celebration of the Nowruz at the Kart-e-Sakhi shrine in Kabul on March 20, 2012.

    Massoud Hossaini / AFP - Getty Images

    Afghan security forces block a road leading to the Sakhi Shrine in Kabul on March 20, 2012.

    Massoud Hossaini / AFP - Getty Images

    Men raise an Islamic flag called "Alam" at the Sakhi Shrine in Kabul on March 20, 2012.

    Musadeq Sadeq / AP

    A boy dances at a celebration of Nowruz in Kabul on March 20, 2012.

     

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    Explore related topics: afghanistan, central-asia, festival, kabul, nowruz, persian-new-year
  • 18
    Mar
    2012
    11:47am, EDT

    Jose Luis Magana / AP

    The transfer case containing the remains of Army Spc. Daquane D. Rivers of Marianna, Fla., sits at the end of the loader ramp during a foggy night, upon arrival at Dover Air Force Base, Del. on March 17.

    Somber homecoming at Dover


    Army Spc. Daquane D. Rivers of Marianna, Fla died on March 14 in a noncombat-related incident in Afghanistan “supporting Operation Enduring Freedom:, the Department of Defense announced late Thursday.

    Details surrounding Rivers' death have not yet been released.

    According to iCasulties.org there have been 1,913 U.S. military fatalities in Afghanistan.

    • Follow @msnbc_pictures on Twitter

    5 comments

    Bring our boys back home now!!!

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    Explore related topics: afghanistan, florida, military, us-news, dover
  • 16
    Mar
    2012
    8:05am, EDT

    Helicopter crashes into a house in Kabul killing 16

    Mohammad Ismail / Reuters

    A Turkish soldier (2nd from left) and Afghans stand near bodies at the site of a NATO helicopter crash in Kabul March 16. The helicopter crashed into a house on the outskirts of the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Friday, killing 12 Turkish soldiers on board and four Afghan civilians on the ground.

    Jawad Jalali / EPA

    The wreckage of a Turkish Sikorsky military helicopter at the scene where it crashed at the Bagrami district on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, March 16. Twelve Turkish soldiers were among those killed when a helicopter operated by foreign forces in Afghanistan crashed into a house in Kabul, officials said.

     Story: NATO helicopter crash kills 16 people in Afghanistan.

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    Explore related topics: turkey, afghanistan, nato, military, kabul, world-news, helicopter-crash
  • 16
    Mar
    2012
    7:34am, EDT

    Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

    Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment (3 Yorks) march during a pre-deployment parade on March 16, 2012 in Warminster, England. The parade will be the last of the units public appearance before being deployed to Afghanistan, and will finish with a church service where an act of remembrance to the six fallen soldiers from 3 Yorks, who were killed in Afghanistan last week will be held.

    Soldiers heading to Afghanistan get a send-off parade in England

    .

    1 comment

    Is there also a Peaceminster somewhere in England?

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    Explore related topics: afghanistan, military, england, world-news, uk
  • 13
    Mar
    2012
    12:39pm, EDT

    Insurgents attack as investigators travel to Afghan massacre sites

    Allauddin Khan / AP

    An Afghan villager, right, shows an empty canister allegedly used by US forces during Sunday's killing of civilians at a prayer ceremony for victims in Panjwai, Kandahar province, on March. 13, 2012.

    Allauddin Khan / AP

    Villagers listen to speeches during a prayer ceremony for victims of Sunday's killing, in Panjwai on March. 13, 2012.

    Allauddin Khan / AP

    Afghan security forces take up positions in a dried water canal after Taliban militants opened fire on a delegation of senior Afghan officials in Panjwai on March. 13, 2012.

    Suspected insurgents opened fire on Tuesday on senior Afghan investigators of the massacre of 16 civilians by a lone U.S. soldier, Afghan officials said, just hours after the Taliban threatened to behead American troops to avenge the killings.

    The gunmen shot from long range at two of President Hamid Karzai's brothers, Shah Wali Karzai and Abdul Qayum Karzai, and security officials at the site of the massacre in Kandahar's Panjwai district.

    Karzai's brothers were unharmed in the brief battle, which began during meetings with local people at a mosque near Najiban and Alekozai villages, but a soldier was killed and a civilian wounded. 

    In Washington, President Obama said he viewed the killing of 16 Afghan civilians as seriously as if those killed had been Americans.

    "The U.S. takes this as seriously as if it were our own citizens and our own children who were murdered," Obama said at the White House.

    -- Msnbc.com and news services contributed to this post

    Slideshow: Afghanistan: Nation at a crossroads

    Jangir / AFP - Getty Images

    More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.

    Launch slideshow

    Follow @msnbc_pictures

     

    Comment

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    Explore related topics: afghanistan, central-asia, massacre, world-news, panjwai
  • 12
    Mar
    2012
    6:49pm, EDT

    Erik S. Lesser / EPA

    Specialist Jeremy Hudson hugs his wife as his ten-year-old daughter Averie holds a welcome home sign on March 12 as he and other soldiers from the 530th Engineer Company arrive at Fort Stewart in Georgia.

    Troops welcomed home from Afghanistan

    Fort Stewart welcomed home 180 soldiers from the 530th Engineer Company on March 12 from their one year deployment in Afghanistan.

    Related links:

    • Follow @msnbc_pictures on Twitter
    • Read more news from Afghanistan

    4 comments

    This is such a heartwarming photo. After all the struggles as a military man protecting your countrymen you came home happy and felt proud that once in your life you've been a hero for the country. A simple message from a Motorcycle Accident Attorney

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    Explore related topics: afghanistan, military, us-news, fort-stewart
  • 11
    Mar
    2012
    10:52am, EDT

    Report: American soldier kills up to 16 Afghan civilians in their homes

    Allauddin Khan / AP

    An elderly Afghan man sits next to a covered body, who was allegedly killed by a U.S. service member, in a minibus in Panjwai, Kandahar province south of Kabul, Afghanistan, March 11. Villagers showed an Associated Press photographer 15 bodies, including women and children, and alleged they were killed by the American.

    A U.S. service member killed at least 15 members of two Afghan families as well as a 16th person before turning himself in, witnesses and officials said Sunday. Nine of the dead were children, and three were women, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in a statement.

    The soldier, who has yet to be identified, reportedly left his base in the early hours Sunday and went to two villages just a few hundred yards away. He then opened fire on Afghan civilians sleeping in ther homes, Minister of Border and Tribal Affairs Asadullah Khalid told Reuters. The service member entered three homes in the villages in Kandahar province, he said.

    -- Reported by msnbc.com staff and news services

    A U.S. service member opened fire on Afghan civilians in Kandahar province, entering their homes in the middle of the night to carry out the attack, officials said Sunday. NBC's Atia Abawi reports.

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