Afghanistan Wartime Architecture March 2010

Afghan female prisoners play volleyball during a friendly match at the female detention center in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday, March 30, 2010. About 145 women prisoners including five female foreigners, do time at Kabul's sole detention center, for various crimes they committed. AP

A medical technician takes the blood pressure of an Afghan woman, Tuesday, March 30, 2010, at the Kandahar Regional Military Hospital near Kandahar, Afghanistan. The hospital, which services primarily Afghan National Army soldiers and Afghan National Police, opened its doors to service members' families for weekly medical care, something that many women and children in the country do not have access to. AP

Afghan female prisoners watch a friendly volleyball match from behind a metal window at the female detention center in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday, March 30, 2010. About 145 women prisoners including five female foreigners, do time at Kabul's sole detention center for women, for various crimes they committed. AP

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen (C, seated) listens to an Afghan villager speak during his visit to Marjah district in Helmand province March 30, 2010. Mullen came to Marjah to see for himself what the Pentagon cautiously views as the first successful test of President Barack Obama's strategy for reversing Taliban momentum after more than eight years of war. Reuters

President Barack Obama meets with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 28, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama waves to U.S. troops at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, March 28, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama greets U.S. troops at a mess hall at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, March 28, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

US President Barack Obama (L) meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, on March 28, 2010. President Barack Obama paid a surprise visit to Afghanistan Sunday, his first as US commander-in-chief, to assess his surge of 30,000 troops, designed to end the bloody eight-year war on the Taliban. Getty

US President Barack Obama (L) visits with troops in the Dragon dining facility at Bagram Air Base on March 28, 2010. Obama thanked the Afghan people and US troops for their sacrifices in the war in Afghanistan, and vowed to reverse the Taliban's momentum. Getty

Afghan boys look for their belongings near their house which was damaged in a gunfight between gunmen and Afghan National Security Forces in Khost, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, March 27, 2010. Gunmen opened fire on a group of engineers inspecting a high school in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province Friday, killing one person and injuring several others, said officials. AP

An Afghan man looks at his belongings near his house which was damaged in a gunfight between gunmen and Afghan National Security Forces in Khost, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, March 27, 2010. Gunmen opened fire on a group of engineers inspecting a high school in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province Friday, killing one person and injuring several others, said officials. AP

Afghan boys work at a brick factory in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, March. 27, 2010. AP

An Afghan boy works at a brick factory in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, March 27, 2010. AP

Jonathan King, a U.S. Army Specialist with 508th Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, stands inside a house during a meeting with the village elders in Morghan Kaicha village outside the town of Kandahar, southern Afghanistan March 26, 2010. Reuters

An Afghan boy looks back after serving tea during a meeting between the village elders and the U.S. Army soldiers of 508th Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, in Morghan Kaicha village outside the town of Kandahar, southern Afghanistan March 26, 2010. Reuters

Spenser Orr, a U.S. Army Specialist with 508th Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, secures the doorway during a meeting with village elders in Morghan Kaicha village outside the town of Kandahar, southern Afghanistan March 26, 2010. Reuters

Smoke billows from a house during a gunfight between gunmen and Afghan National Security Forces in Khost, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, March 26, 2010. Gunmen opened fire on a group of engineers inspecting a high school in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province Friday, killing one of them, local officials said. AP

An Afghan boy looks out while members of his family answer questions to US Marines of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines during a joint foot patrol with Afghan Army soldiers in a Taliban stronghold area, in northern Marjah, Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, on March 25, 2010. Getty

US Marine troops of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, bow their heads as they pray during a memorial ceremony for four fallen comrades, at their base in Marjah, Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, on March 26, 2010. US Marines Lance Corporals Alejandro Yazzie and Matthias Hanson and Private First Classes Eric Currier and Kyle Coutu were killed in action between February 16th and February 21st during the recently US Marines-led offensive against Taliban insurgency in Marjah. Getty

An Afghan street clothes seller waits for customers in Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday, March 24, 2010. AP

An Afghan boy watches boys playing from the door of his home in the old part of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, March 24, 2010. AP

An Afghan municipal worker stands on trash at a garbage site in Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday, March 24, 2010. AP

An Afghan boy walks towards his home in the old part of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, March 24, 2010. AP

Britain's Prince Charles (2nd R) views art produced by the Turquoise Mountain NGO, which is supported by the Prince, in Kabul, Afghanistan March 24, 2010. The Prince arrived in Afghanistan on a surprise visit on Wednesday, and met with British soldiers serving in the southern Helmand Province. Photograph taken on March 24, 2010. Reuters

Britain's Prince Charles (C) visits the art production area of Turquoise Mountain NGO, which is supported by the Prince, in Kabul, Afghanistan March 24, 2010. The Prince arrived in Afghanistan on a surprise visit on Wednesday, and met with British soldiers serving in the southern Helmand Province. Photograph taken on March 24, 2010. Reuters

Britain's Prince Charles (R) walks out of a tent at British military Camp Pimon in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province on March 25, 2010. The Prince arrived in Afghanistan on a surprise visit on March 24, and met with British soldiers serving in the southern Helmand Province. Reuters

A U.S. Army soldier with 508th Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, walks inside a cell for detainees at a local police station outside the town of Kandahar, southern Afghanistan March 25, 2010. Reuters

Britain's Prince Charles (C) speaks with a British soldier at military Camp Pimon in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province on March 25, 2010. The Prince arrived in Afghanistan on a surprise visit on Wednesday, and met with British soldiers serving in the southern Helmand Province. Reuters

An Italian solider with the NATO led- International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) keeps the media away as U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, center, head of the NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, attends the opening ceremony of an air base in Herat, west of Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday, March 25, 2010. AP

United States Army Capt. Rais Sanchez, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. , second from left, and Sgt. Erika Smith, of Utica, N.Y. , 4th Bridage Special Troops Battalion meet with the district sub governor to discuss civic projects in the village of Behsood Tuesday, March 23, 2010, in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. AP

Burqa-clad Afghan women walk outside of the Hazrat-i Ali shrine in Mazar-i-Sharif, the centre of Afghan New Year's or Nauruz celebrations,, on March 22, 2010 in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of ancient Balkh province in northern Afghanistan. The festival is being celebrated in Turkey, Central Asian republics, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan aswell as war-torn Afghanistan and coincides with the astronomical vernal equinox. Getty

An Afghan boy walks along with his donkey carrying jerry cans filled with water in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, March 22, 2010. Clean Water for a Healthy World is the theme for World Water Day 2010 which is celebrated Monday. AP

Afghan children enjoy a swing during the celebration celebration of Nowruz, the start of spring and the traditional New Year celebrated in Afghanistan, Iran and other countries of central Asia, at the Kart-e-Sakhi shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 21, 2010. A roadside bomb killed two civilians Sunday as a series of blasts targeted people celebrating the Afghan New Year, officials said. AP

An Afghan man carries jerry cans filled with water in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, March 22, 2010. Clean Water for a Healthy World is the theme for World Water Day 2010 which is celebrated Monday. AP

Afghan children fill jerry cans with water at a public tap in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, March 22, 2010. Clean Water for a Healthy World is the theme for World Water Day 2010 which is celebrated Monday. AP

A pole is raised at the Hazrat-i Ali shrine during celebrations for the solar-based New Year's or Nowruz, on March 22, 2010 in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of ancient Balkh province in northern Afghanistan. The festival is being celebrated in Turkey, Central Asian republics, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan aswell as war-torn Afghanistan and coincides with the astronomical vernal equinox. Getty

A pole is raised at the Hazrat-i Ali shrine during celebrations for the solar-based New Year's or Nowruz, on March 22, 2010 in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of ancient Balkh province in northern Afghanistan. The festival is being celebrated in Turkey, Central Asian republics, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan aswell as war-torn Afghanistan and coincides with the astronomical vernal equinox. Getty

An Afghan woman prays outside of the Hazrat-i Ali shrine during celebrations for the solar-based New Year's or Nowruz, on March 22, 2010 in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of ancient Balkh province in northern Afghanistan. The festival is being celebrated in Turkey, Central Asian republics, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan aswell as war-torn Afghanistan and coincides with the astronomical vernal equinox. Getty

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai (3rd R) meets with Denmark's Foreign Minister Lene Espersen (C) in Kabul March 22, 2010. Reuters

(PATIENT GAVE CONSENT FOR PHOTOS) U.S. Army Chaplain CPT. Loren Aderhold hugs a fellow soldier after he was called in to be with wounded soldiers from his unit at the military hospital on March 22, 2010 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. U.S. military chaplains travel the battlefield across Afghanistan counseling, comforting and ministering to troops dealing with the difficulties of war and living far from their families. Getty

(PATIENT GAVE CONSENT FOR PHOTOS AND IDENTIFICATION)U.S. Army Spc. Benjamin McCune, 21, is turned on his side as medical personel check him for wounds at the military hospital on March 22, 2010 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The 82nd Airborne soldier suffered back injuries when his armored vehicle struck an IED in Kandahar province Monday. Medical personel at the Role III Multinational Medical Unit treat wounded soldiers, insurgent detainees and civilians alike. Severely wounded American and other international troops are treated and flown out for more advanced treatment outside of Afghanistan. Getty

Pete Christie, Toronto Police Sergeant, patrols with U.S. soldiers in the town of Kandahar, southern Afghanistan March 22, 2010. Reuters

Afghan boys carry jerry cans filled with water as they try to cross the road in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, March 22, 2010. Clean Water for a Healthy World is the theme for World Water Day 2010 which is celebrated Monday. AP

An Afghan boy walks along with his donkey carrying jerry cans filled with water in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, March 22, 2010. Clean Water for a Healthy World is the theme for World Water Day 2010 which is celebrated Monday. AP

U.S. Navy Chaplain LCDR. Charles Hodges photographs as doctors perform brain surgery on an Afghan civilian on March 21, 2010 at the military hospital at Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan. Chaplain Hodges is stationed at the hospital and also serves as the photographer for the medical unit. As part of his job, he also comforts wounded patients and counsels medical staff who often deal with a heavy caseload of patients, many suffering from traumatic injuries. Getty

A U.S. Army soldier with the 293D Military Police Company, 97th Military Police Battalion, searches a destroyed section of an abandoned grain elevator building during patrol on the outskirts of the town of Kandahar, southern Afghanistan March 21, 2010. Reuters

U.S. Army soldiers with the 293D Military Police Company, 97th Military Police Battalion, play board game 'Risk - The Game of Global Domination' as they relax at a local police station on the outskirts of the town of Kandahar, southern Afghanistan March 21, 2010. The soldiers were part of a task force stationed at the police station to train and support the local police. Reuters

A U.S. Army soldier with the 293D Military Police Company, 97th Military Police Battalion, looks through the scope of his rifle from the top of an abandoned grain elevator building during patrol on the outskirts of the town of Kandahar, southern Afghanistan March 21, 2010. Reuters

An Afghan National Police officer rests on his bed at the Sukh Rod district police headquarters Sunday, March 21, 2010, in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. Sunday was a holiday in Afghanistan marking the New Year on the Muslim calendar. AP

An Afghan youth sits on a rock overlooking Kart-e-Sakhi shrine in the back ground during the celebration of Nowruz, the start of spring and the traditional New Year celebrated in Afghanistan, Iran and other countries of central Asia, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 21, 2010. A roadside bomb killed two civilians Sunday as a series of blasts targeted people celebrating the Afghan New Year, officials said. AP

An Afghan youth sits on a rooftop during the celebration of Nowruz, the start of spring and the traditional New Year celebrated in Afghanistan, Iran and other countries of central Asia, from the hilltop at the Kart-e-Sakhi shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 21, 2010. A roadside bomb killed two civilians Sunday as a series of blasts targeted people celebrating the Afghan New Year, officials said. AP

An Afghan police helicopter flies over Hazrat Ali (Kart-i-Sakhi) shrine where Afghans celebrate the Afghan New Year (Nawruz) in Kabul March 21, 2010. Afghanistan uses the Persian calendar which runs from the vernal equinox. The calendar takes as its start date the time when the Prophet Mohammad moved from Mecca to Medina in 621 AD. The current Persian year is 1389. Reuters

Afghans sit on rooftops during celebrations of the Afghan New Year (Nawruz) in Kabul March 21, 2010. Afghanistan uses the Persian calendar which runs from the vernal equinox. The calendar takes as its start date the time when the Prophet Mohammad moved from Mecca to Medina in 621 AD. The current Persian year is 1389. Reuters

An Afghan balloon seller strolls near the Kart-e-Sakhi shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 21, 2010. A roadside bomb killed two civilians Sunday as a series of blasts targeted people celebrating the Afghan New Year, officials said. AP

U.S. Army Capt. Rais Sanchez, left, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. , and Lt. John Holland, of Katy, Texas, right, with the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, talk with members of the Afghan National Police about security measures in the Sukh Rod district Sunday, March 21, 2010, in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. AP

An Afghan police man guards as people watch celebration celebration of Nowruz, the start of spring and the traditional New Year celebrated in Afghanistan, Iran and other countries of central Asia, at the Kart-e-Sakhi shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 21, 2010. A roadside bomb killed two civilians Sunday as a series of blasts targeted people celebrating the Afghan New Year, officials said. AP

Afghan policemen, left, stand on a wall as crowd of people pack a road during the celebration of Nowruz, the start of spring and the traditional New Year celebrated in Afghanistan, Iran and other countries of central Asia, from the hilltop at the Kart-e-Sakhi shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 21, 2010. A roadside bomb killed two civilians Sunday as a series of blasts targeted people celebrating the Afghan New Year, officials said. AP

An Afghan man atop the Hazrat-i Ali shrine watches a solar-based New Year's or Nowruz ceremony that includes rising a large poll as Afghans gather below in Mazar-i-Sharif on March 21, 2010. The pre-Islamic festival is celebrated annually as people from across the war-torn country gather in ancient Balkh province's capital in northern Afghanistan which holds a shrine attributed to the religion's fourth Calif, Hazrat-i Ali. Getty

An Afghan police man stands guard as people watch celebration of Nowruz, the start of spring and the traditional New Year celebrated in Afghanistan, Iran and other countries of central Asia, at the Kart-e-Sakhi shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, March 21, 2010. A roadside bomb killed two civilians Sunday as a series of blasts targeted people celebrating the Afghan New Year, officials said. AP

Afghan men and women gather to watch a ceremony for Afghan solar-based New Year's or Nowruz celebrations that includes rising a large poll at the Hazrat-i Ali shrine in Mazar-i-Sharif on March 21, 2010. The pre-Islamic festival is celebrated annually as people from across the war-torn country gather in ancient Balkh province's capital in northern Afghanistan which holds a shrine attributed to the religion's fourth Calif, Hazrat-i Ali. Getty

Afghan men and women gather to watch a ceremony for Afghan solar-based New Year's or Nowruz celebrations that includes rising a large poll at the Hazrat-i Ali shrine in Mazar-i-Sharif on March 21, 2010. The pre-Islamic festival is celebrated annually as people from across the war-torn country gather in ancient Balkh province's capital in northern Afghanistan which holds a shrine attributed to the religion's fourth Calif, Hazrat-i Ali. Getty

The monumental doors are cracked open of the Bala Hissar, an ancient fortress overlooking Kabul March 20, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The fortress, originally built around the 5th century AD, has housed a successive series of kings and conquerors over the centuries, and was heavily used by British forces during their ill-fated 19th century military occupations of Afghanistan; these massive metal doors are thought to have been installed then. In most cities an edifice with the history of the Bala Hissar would be a popular tourist attraction; in war-torn Kabul it sits mostly ignored on a hill overlooking the city, overgrown with weeds and used mostly as a communications tower, while being guarded intermittently by small detachment of Afghan Army soldiers. Getty

Afghan National Army soldiers walk down through an archway in the Bala Hissar, an ancient fortress overlooking Kabul March 20, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The fortress, originally built around the 5th century AD, has housed a successive series of kings and conquerors over the centuries, and was heavily used by British forces during their ill-fated 19th century military occupations of Afghanistan. In most cities an edifice with the history of the Bala Hissar would be a popular tourist attraction; in war-torn Kabul it sits mostly ignored on a hill overlooking the city, used mostly as a communications tower and watchedintermittently by a few Afghan Army soldiers. Getty

Nineteeth-century metalwork adorns the doors of the Bala Hissar, an ancient fortress overlooking Kabul March 20, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The fortress, originally built around the 5th century AD, has housed a successive series of kings and conquerors over the centuries, and was heavily used by British forces during their two ill-fated 19th century military occupations of Afghanistan; these massive metal doors are thought to have been installed then. In most cities an edifice with the history of the Bala Hissar would be a popular tourist attraction; in war-torn Kabul it sits mostly ignored on a hill overlooking the city, overgrown with weeds and used mostly as a communications tower, while being guarded intermittently by small detachment of Afghan Army soldiers. Getty

fghan National Army guards stand inside the Bala Hissar, an ancient fortress overlooking Kabul March 20, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The fortress, originally built around the 5th century AD, has housed a successive series of kings and conquerors over the centuries, and was heavily used by British forces during their ill-fated 19th century military occupations of Afghanistan. In most cities an edifice with the history of the Bala Hissar would be a popular tourist attraction; in war-torn Kabul it sits mostly ignored on a hill overlooking the city, overgrown with weeds and used mostly as a communications tower, while being guarded intermittently by small detachment of Afghan Army soldiers. Getty

Weeds and old equipment lie in the courtyard of the once-grand Bala Hissar, an ancient fortress overlooking Kabul March 20, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The fortress, originally built around the 5th century AD, has housed a successive series of kings and conquerors over the centuries, and was heavily used by British forces during their ill-fated 19th century military occupations of Afghanistan. In most cities an edifice with the history of the Bala Hissar would be a popular tourist attraction; in war-torn Kabul it sits mostly ignored on a hill overlooking the city, overgrown with weeds and used mostly as a communications tower, while being guarded intermittently by small detachment of Afghan Army soldiers. Getty

Afghan National Army soldiers walk up to the highest point of the Bala Hissar, an ancient fortress overlooking Kabul March 20, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The fortress, originally built around the 5th century AD, has housed a successive series of kings and conquerors over the centuries, and was heavily used by British forces during their ill-fated 19th century military occupations of Afghanistan. In most cities an edifice with the history of the Bala Hissar would be a popular tourist attraction; in war-torn Kabul it sits mostly ignored on a hill overlooking the city, used mostly as a communications tower and watched intermittently by a few Afghan Army soldiers. Getty

Houses stand for miles in the cityscape of Kabul from the summit of the Bala Hissar, an ancient fortress overlooking Kabul March 20, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The fortress, originally built around the 5th century AD, has housed a successive series of kings and conquerors over the centuries, and was heavily used by British forces during their ill-fated 19th century military occupations of Afghanistan. In most cities an edifice with the history of the Bala Hissar would be a popular tourist attraction; in war-torn Kabul it sits mostly ignored on a hill overlooking the city, overgrown with weeds and used mostly as a communications tower, while being guarded intermittently by small detachment of Afghan Army soldiers. Getty

A communications rig stands atop a field at the summit of the Bala Hissar, an ancient fortress overlooking Kabul March 20, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The fortress, originally built around the 5th century AD, has housed a successive series of kings and conquerors over the centuries, and was heavily used by British forces during their ill-fated 19th century military occupations of Afghanistan. In most cities an edifice with the history of the Bala Hissar would be a popular tourist attraction; in war-torn Kabul it sits mostly ignored on a hill overlooking the city, overgrown with weeds and used mostly as a communications tower, while being guarded intermittently by small detachment of Afghan Army soldiers. Getty