Back in Kabul by Tyler Hicks Photography Photojournalism

Back in Kabul, Never at Peace

Photographs and text by TYLER HICKS

Published: July 6, 2008 New York Times

STREET LIFE Refugees have streamed into Kabul, and many become beggars, like this woman caring for her sick son.

My first trip to Kabul was in 2001. I arrived as Northern Alliance soldiers were fighting Taliban gunmen in and around the Afghan capital. Those who resisted were killed, and those captured were more likely to be executed than taken prisoner. There was a power vacuum in Kabul, a brief moment when one set of rulers fled and the next had not yet taken over. This can be a liberating time for a photographer. There were no clear rules, no central authority that might restrict you from taking pictures. I’ve returned to Afghanistan nearly every year since then.

Photographer's Journal: Kabul in Transition

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