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First Place
Farah Nosh Getty Images/ TIME Magazine
"Afghan Student"
8-year-old Afghan student, Kamilah, sits in one of
Cheplany Primary School's burned out classrooms in Dand, a small rural
village south of Kandahar city. Dand is the home district of Afghan
President, Hamid Karzai. Following the school's destruction in May 2006, one
of the school's head teachers was implicated in the burning through old ties
to the Taliban. But the school's headmaster has no doubt it was the Taliban
themselves who are responsible. The school was built by a Japanese
non-governmental organization in 2004. School officials say that the
students will go back to school despite the loss of the building, reminding
their students that before the school was built, students' classes were held
in a field. Afghanistan witnessed a Taliban resurgence that began in spring
2006 in the southern provinces, their strongest show of force since they lost
power in the country in 2001. Despite increased military efforts in the
south, the Taliban continue to grow and strengthen, effectively fighting
coalition forces, and raising concerns about Afghanistan's stability.
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