War

I am currently reading a book called 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' which tells a story of a young girl growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan, during the Taliban rule.
The first time I became aware of the war in Afghanistan was on September 11th 2001, when Al-Qaeda terrorists hi-jacked and crashed two planes into the Twin Towers - before that moment I was oblivious.
Earlier this evening I was flitting around the house, tidying, with the news on the television in the next room. I caught the sound of a name that sounded familiar - Abdul Rashid Dostum. Dostum was a leader who fought as part of the Mujahdeen in Afghanistan against the Soviets in the late 1980's. There were many other powerful leaders in the Mujahdeen, and once the war was over they no longer had a common enemy and instead turned on eachother. These honorable leaders (as they were once seen as in the eyes of Afghans) became warlords, who marked their territory with guns and bombs. This is the kind of violence that still goes on everyday in Kabul; the kind of violence that is killing our troops. And Afghanistan hasn't changed for the last two decades, as they were just discussing on BBC news.
And how do I know all this? My wonderful book told me! I recommend this book to anyone that wants to get more of an insight the the history of Afghanistan and their culture. It really helps you understand the current state of affairs...