By John Cantlie
Kabul, Afghanistan
Back in the friendly, crazy pace of Kabul after a hectic time in Helmand. It’s always weird, swapping between the two Afghanistans. In one, you jump in taxis, go to cafes, go shopping and get drunk in the various ‘underground’ bars dotted around the place. You talk and laugh with people you’ve never met before. In the other, you skulk around looking with suspicious eyes at anyone who comes near, constantly in the company of men with loaded machine guns who’ve seen too many friends hurt or killed, the heavy cloak of military objectives always felt, ever present.
It’s like one version of Afghanistan bears absolutely no relevance to the other.