A pack of dogs barked from a precipice above a dusty hillside in Kabul's southern outskirts. Just below, on a slope rising from the Afghan capital's vast basin, Khwaja Naqib Ahmad was burying four members of the Afghan Taliban. The hillside was covered with graves of the unwanted: beggars, impoverished foreigners, terrorists killed in suicide attacks. Ahmad wasn't provided with names or any identifying information for the dead Taliban -- shrines for sympathizers must be avoided. He has buried dozens. But it's likely that the four men buried here in April died in the attack on Kabul's Independent Election Commission headquarters, prior to the April 5 presidential election. Blood on the burial sheets revealed the violence of their last moments. Photographer Andrew Quilty was in Afghanistan in April, and documented these burials in a section of Kabul's Shuhadah E Saleheen Cemetery reserved for terrorists, paupers, and foreigners whose families can't afford to repatriate their bodies. The militants whose burials Quilty photographed make up only a fraction of the Taliban killed earlier this year: in January and February alone, Afghan security forces killed over 720 members of the group. Civilian casualties have soared even higher this year; the first half of 2014 saw over 1,564 deaths and 3,289 injuries among civilians -- the highest rate since 2009. In late July, fighting between insurgents and government forces roiled Kandahar, a province where, in 2010, U.S. forces had managed to drive out the Taliban. And earlier in the month, four insurgents were killed and one security officer wounded in a brazen attack on Kabul's airport. There will be more work at Shuhadah E Saleheen. Above, headstones are marked with numbers that correspond to official records but do not outwardly identify those buried. Even in the heat, one of the gravediggers wears a pinstripe suit. Andrew Quilty
A pack of dogs barked from a precipice above a dusty hillside in Kabul's southern outskirts. Just below, on a slope rising from the Afghan capital's vast basin, Khwaja Naqib Ahmad was burying four members of the Afghan Taliban. The hillside was covered with graves of the unwanted: beggars, impoverished foreigners, terrorists killed in suicide attacks. Ahmad wasn't provided with names or any identifying information for the dead Taliban -- shrines for sympathizers must be avoided. He has buried dozens. But it's likely that the four men buried here in April died in the attack on Kabul's Independent Election Commission headquarters, prior to the April 5 presidential election. Blood on the burial sheets revealed the violence of their last moments. Photographer Andrew Quilty was in Afghanistan in April, and documented these burials in a section of Kabul's Shuhadah E Saleheen Cemetery reserved for terrorists, paupers, and foreigners whose families can't afford to repatriate their bodies. The militants whose burials Quilty photographed make up only a fraction of the Taliban killed earlier this year: in January and February alone, Afghan security forces killed over 720 members of the group. Civilian casualties have soared even higher this year; the first half of 2014 saw over 1,564 deaths and 3,289 injuries among civilians -- the highest rate since 2009. In late July, fighting between insurgents and government forces roiled Kandahar, a province where, in 2010, U.S. forces had managed to drive out the Taliban. And earlier in the month, four insurgents were killed and one security officer wounded in a brazen attack on Kabul's airport. There will be more work at Shuhadah E Saleheen. Above, headstones are marked with numbers that correspond to official records but do not outwardly identify those buried. Even in the heat, one of the gravediggers wears a pinstripe suit. Andrew Quilty
A pack of dogs barked from a precipice above a dusty hillside in Kabul's southern outskirts. Just below, on a slope rising from the Afghan capital's vast basin, Khwaja Naqib Ahmad was burying four members of the Afghan Taliban.
The hillside was covered with graves of the unwanted: beggars, impoverished foreigners, terrorists killed in suicide attacks. Ahmad wasn't provided with names or any identifying information for the dead Taliban -- shrines for sympathizers must be avoided. He has buried dozens. But it's likely that the four men buried here in April died in the attack on Kabul's Independent Election Commission headquarters, prior to the April 5 presidential election. Blood on the burial sheets revealed the violence of their last moments.
Photographer Andrew Quilty was in Afghanistan in April, and documented these burials in a section of Kabul's Shuhadah E Saleheen Cemetery reserved for terrorists, paupers, and foreigners whose families can't afford to repatriate their bodies. The militants whose burials Quilty photographed make up only a fraction of the Taliban killed earlier this year: in January and February alone, Afghan security forces killed over 720 members of the group.
Civilian casualties have soared even higher this year; the first half of 2014 saw over 1,564 deaths and 3,289 injuries among civilians -- the highest rate since 2009. In late July, fighting between insurgents and government forces roiled Kandahar, a province where, in 2010, U.S. forces had managed to drive out the Taliban. And earlier in the month, four insurgents were killed and one security officer wounded in a brazen attack on Kabul's airport. There will be more work at Shuhadah E Saleheen.
Above, headstones are marked with numbers that correspond to official records but do not outwardly identify those buried. Even in the heat, one of the gravediggers wears a pinstripe suit.
Andrew Quilty
The final body is maneuvered towards its grave from the morgue vehicle, a white van with a decal reading "Donated by Pakistan" on the side. Andrew Quilty
The final body is maneuvered towards its grave from the morgue vehicle, a white van with a decal reading "Donated by Pakistan" on the side.
Andrew Quilty
A section of the Shuhadah E Saleheen Cemetery, on a slope above Hashmat Khan Lake. Andrew Quilty
A section of the Shuhadah E Saleheen Cemetery, on a slope above Hashmat Khan Lake.
Andrew Quilty
A prayer is said over each grave once the burial is complete. Andrew Quilty
A prayer is said over each grave once the burial is complete.
Andrew Quilty
The fourth body is taken from the van and carried to a nearby grave. Andrew Quilty
The fourth body is taken from the van and carried to a nearby grave.
Andrew Quilty
The bodies brought for burial are loosely wrapped in a white cloth. Here the cloth has opened, exposing the body within. Andrew Quilty
The bodies brought for burial are loosely wrapped in a white cloth. Here the cloth has opened, exposing the body within.
Andrew Quilty
Each of the graves is dug waist-deep into the ground. Andrew Quilty
Each of the graves is dug waist-deep into the ground.
Andrew Quilty
The men cover the graves with the damp soil they unearthed during their digging; it is darker than the powdery dirt on the surface. At one point, a policeman walked over from his guard post to say that the graves were too shallow and that dogs would come at night. It was agreed to dig each grave half a foot longer, but no deeper. Andrew Quilty
The men cover the graves with the damp soil they unearthed during their digging; it is darker than the powdery dirt on the surface. At one point, a policeman walked over from his guard post to say that the graves were too shallow and that dogs would come at night. It was agreed to dig each grave half a foot longer, but no deeper.
Andrew Quilty
Two freshly dug graves await their dead. From here, the Hashmat Khan Lake is visible in the distance. Andrew Quilty
Two freshly dug graves await their dead. From here, the Hashmat Khan Lake is visible in the distance.
Andrew Quilty
After completing the burials, the gravediggers sit on the ground for a rest and drink green tea. Andrew Quilty
After completing the burials, the gravediggers sit on the ground for a rest and drink green tea.
Andrew Quilty
Khwaja Naqib Ahmad stands over two open graves. Andrew Quilty
Khwaja Naqib Ahmad stands over two open graves.
Andrew Quilty
Slabs of stone are placed over the bodies before soil is piled on top. Andrew Quilty
Slabs of stone are placed over the bodies before soil is piled on top.
Andrew Quilty
More from The World in Photos This WeekRock the VoteFace OffPreparing for a Very Cold War
Explore the benefits of your FP subscription.
Explore the benefits included in your subscription.
Stay updated on the topics you care about with email alerts. Sign up below.Stay updated on the topics you care about with email alerts. Sign up below.
Choose a few newsletters that interest you.Get more insight in your inbox.
Here are some we think you might like.
Update your newsletter preferences.
Your guide to the most important world stories of the day.
Essential analysis of the stories shaping geopolitics on the continent. Delivered Wednesday.
One-stop digest of politics, economics, and culture. Delivered Friday.
The latest news, analysis, and data from the country each week. Delivered Wednesday.
Weekly update on developments in India and its neighbors. Delivered Thursday.
Weekly update on what’s driving U.S. national security policy. Delivered Thursday.
A curated selection of our very best long reads. Delivered Wednesday & Sunday.
Evening roundup with our editors’ favorite stories of the day. Delivered Monday-Saturday.
A monthly digest of the top articles read by FP subscribers.
Keep up with the world without stopping yours.
Keep up with the world without stopping yours.
Download the FP mobile app to read anytime, anywhere.
Download the new FP mobile app to read anytime, anywhere.
Read the magazine
Save articles (and read offline)
Customize your feed
Listen to FP podcasts
Analyze the world’s biggest events.
Analyze the world’s biggest events.
Join in-depth conversations and interact with foreign-policy experts with Join in-depth conversations and interact with foreign-policy experts with
A pack of dogs barked from a precipice above a dusty hillside in Kabul's southern outskirts. Just below, on a slope rising from the Afghan capital's vast basin, Khwaja Naqib Ahmad was burying four members of the Afghan Taliban. The hillside was covered with graves of the unwanted: beggars, impoverished foreigners, terrorists killed in suicide attacks. Ahmad wasn't provided with names or any identifying information for the dead Taliban -- shrines for sympathizers must be avoided. He has buried dozens. But it's likely that the four men buried here in April died in the attack on Kabul's Independent Election Commission headquarters, prior to the April 5 presidential election. Blood on the burial sheets revealed the violence of their last moments. Photographer Andrew Quilty was in Afghanistan in April, and documented these burials in a section of Kabul's Shuhadah E Saleheen Cemetery reserved for terrorists, paupers, and foreigners whose families can't afford to repatriate their bodies. The militants whose burials Quilty photographed make up only a fraction of the Taliban killed earlier this year: in January and February alone, Afghan security forces killed over 720 members of the group. Civilian casualties have soared even higher this year; the first half of 2014 saw over 1,564 deaths and 3,289 injuries among civilians -- the highest rate since 2009. In late July, fighting between insurgents and government forces roiled Kandahar, a province where, in 2010, U.S. forces had managed to drive out the Taliban. And earlier in the month, four insurgents were killed and one security officer wounded in a brazen attack on Kabul's airport. There will be more work at Shuhadah E Saleheen. Above, headstones are marked with numbers that correspond to official records but do not outwardly identify those buried. Even in the heat, one of the gravediggers wears a pinstripe suit. Andrew Quilty
Over the last few years, the United States has moved to limit China’s technological rise. U.S.-led sanctions have imposed unprecedented limits on Beijing’s access to advanced computing c...Show morehips. In response, China has accelerated its own efforts to develop its technological industry and reduce its dependence on external imports.
According to Dan Wang, a technology expert and visiting scholar at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center, China’s tech competitiveness is grounded in manufacturing capabilities. And sometimes China’s strategy beats America’s.
Where is this new tech war headed? How are other countries being impacted as a result? In what ways are they reassessing their relationships with the world’s largest economic superpowers? Join FP’s Ravi Agrawal in conversation with Wang for a discussion about China’s technological rise and whether U.S. actions can really stop it.
A pack of dogs barked from a precipice above a dusty hillside in Kabul's southern outskirts. Just below, on a slope rising from the Afghan capital's vast basin, Khwaja Naqib Ahmad was burying four members of the Afghan Taliban. The hillside was covered with graves of the unwanted: beggars, impoverished foreigners, terrorists killed in suicide attacks. Ahmad wasn't provided with names or any identifying information for the dead Taliban -- shrines for sympathizers must be avoided. He has buried dozens. But it's likely that the four men buried here in April died in the attack on Kabul's Independent Election Commission headquarters, prior to the April 5 presidential election. Blood on the burial sheets revealed the violence of their last moments. Photographer Andrew Quilty was in Afghanistan in April, and documented these burials in a section of Kabul's Shuhadah E Saleheen Cemetery reserved for terrorists, paupers, and foreigners whose families can't afford to repatriate their bodies. The militants whose burials Quilty photographed make up only a fraction of the Taliban killed earlier this year: in January and February alone, Afghan security forces killed over 720 members of the group. Civilian casualties have soared even higher this year; the first half of 2014 saw over 1,564 deaths and 3,289 injuries among civilians -- the highest rate since 2009. In late July, fighting between insurgents and government forces roiled Kandahar, a province where, in 2010, U.S. forces had managed to drive out the Taliban. And earlier in the month, four insurgents were killed and one security officer wounded in a brazen attack on Kabul's airport. There will be more work at Shuhadah E Saleheen. Above, headstones are marked with numbers that correspond to official records but do not outwardly identify those buried. Even in the heat, one of the gravediggers wears a pinstripe suit. Andrew Quilty
For decades, the U.S. foreign-policy establishment has made the assumption that India could serve as a partner as the United States jostles with China for power in the Indo-Pacific region. B...Show moreut Ashley J. Tellis, a longtime watcher of U.S.-India relations, says that Washington’s expectations of New Delhi are misplaced.
In a widely read Foreign Affairs essay, Tellis makes the case that the White House should recalibrate its expectations of India. Is Tellis right?
Send in your questions for an in-depth discussion with Tellis and FP Live host Ravi Agrawal ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the White House on June 22.
A pack of dogs barked from a precipice above a dusty hillside in Kabul's southern outskirts. Just below, on a slope rising from the Afghan capital's vast basin, Khwaja Naqib Ahmad was burying four members of the Afghan Taliban. The hillside was covered with graves of the unwanted: beggars, impoverished foreigners, terrorists killed in suicide attacks. Ahmad wasn't provided with names or any identifying information for the dead Taliban -- shrines for sympathizers must be avoided. He has buried dozens. But it's likely that the four men buried here in April died in the attack on Kabul's Independent Election Commission headquarters, prior to the April 5 presidential election. Blood on the burial sheets revealed the violence of their last moments. Photographer Andrew Quilty was in Afghanistan in April, and documented these burials in a section of Kabul's Shuhadah E Saleheen Cemetery reserved for terrorists, paupers, and foreigners whose families can't afford to repatriate their bodies. The militants whose burials Quilty photographed make up only a fraction of the Taliban killed earlier this year: in January and February alone, Afghan security forces killed over 720 members of the group. Civilian casualties have soared even higher this year; the first half of 2014 saw over 1,564 deaths and 3,289 injuries among civilians -- the highest rate since 2009. In late July, fighting between insurgents and government forces roiled Kandahar, a province where, in 2010, U.S. forces had managed to drive out the Taliban. And earlier in the month, four insurgents were killed and one security officer wounded in a brazen attack on Kabul's airport. There will be more work at Shuhadah E Saleheen. Above, headstones are marked with numbers that correspond to official records but do not outwardly identify those buried. Even in the heat, one of the gravediggers wears a pinstripe suit. Andrew Quilty
Last weekend, spy chiefs and defense officials from around the world descended on Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s biggest annual security conference. The U.S. delegatio...Show moren was led by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who asked for a bilateral meeting with China’s new defense minister, Li Shangfu. The request was denied, perhaps in part because Li has been sanctioned by Washington for his role in the purchase of military equipment from Moscow.
Over the course of the three-day summit, which I attended, Li and Austin didn’t speak with each other; they spoke at each other. In dueling speeches, Austin summoned the usual Washington buzzwords—a “free and open Indo-Pacific”—and made the point that talks with China were necessary, not a bargaining chip. When Li’s turn came, he responded with familiar Beijing-speak, criticizing Western hypocrisy and Washington’s growing security partnerships in Asia.
But while China shut the United States out, it welcomed talks with Europe. EU foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, and British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace all secured bilateral meetings with China’s Li.
The Singapore summit underscored how the U.S.-China relationship was different from that of Europe’s relationship with China, its biggest trading partner. But what is the substance of those differences, and will Beijing try to exploit them? For answers, FP’s Ravi Agrawal spoke to Cindy Yu, an assistant editor at the Spectator and the host of its Chinese Whispers podcast, and James Palmer, the writer of FP’s weekly China Brief newsletter. FP subscribers can watch the full discussion or read an edited and condensed transcript, exclusive to FP Insiders.
See what’s trending.
See what’s trending.
Most popular articles on FP right now.
Most popular articles on FP right now.
Such a facility could enable Beijing to monitor emails, phone calls, satellite transmissions, and shipping traffic along the southeastern United States.
