03 August 2011
Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan
Afghan National Army soldiers make enemy contact in northern Afghanistan.
The people of Afghanistan have had to deal with conflict and military occupation for much of the past 50 years. NATO forces have been in conflict with the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2001, and are scheduled to withdraw in 2014, handing over to the Afghan National Army. Conflict and long-term instability in Afghanistan have led to personal trauma, and severe economic and infrastructural damage. Foreign aid has helped support various initiatives to improve infrastructure and education, but as occupation forces withdraw and Western economies face their own difficulties, funds to NGOs are being cut.
