US soldiers gather at the entrance of an anti-mortar shell shelter as smoke rises at the impact site of a mortar shell during an attack on the US base in Kandahar province on August 12, 2010 (YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty)
In Afghanistan’s Kandahar City, nearly 500,000 residents try to go about their daily lives while U.S. troops, Afghan police and Taliban fighters battle for ground. And important ground it is; the major trading center has long been a home base for the Taliban in Afghanistan, and proved a consistent and troublesome flashpoint for Soviets during their own occupation of the country.
Today, the city continues to go through transitions, both symbolic and tangible. Though a new push by NATO forces has removed some of the Taliban’s more visible presence, fighters continue to assassinate members of the police, battle U.S. troops, and detonate suicide bombs throughout the city.
Rod Nordland, foreign correspondent for our partner The New York Times, has a story out today on the city, and the current push by NATO forces for peace and control.
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