Los Angeles Times foreign correspondent and photographer Marcus Yam entered Afghanistan on the verge of the American withdrawal. He stayed for the next two months to document the Taliban’s swift takeover. Here are his reflections.
âThere Is No Safe Areaâ: In Kabul, Fear Has Taken Over
A new wave of violence and a growing uncertainty about the countryâs future have left Afghans in the capital with a constant sense of fear.
A police checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan, this month.Credit.Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times
Jan. 17, 2021
KABUL, Afghanistan â In Kabulâs uncertain present, fear and dread intertwine in a vise. Fear has become a way of life.
âWhen youâre in the car you feel fear, when you are walking you feel fear, and when you are in the shop you feel fear,â said Shamsullah Amini, a 22-year-old shopkeeper, while watching over his vats of dried grains and beans in the Taimani neighborhood. âIf there was any security at all, we wouldnât all be thinking about leaving the country.â