Many Afghans over the years including senior members of the Taliban have told me that the West is just too gentle with winning hearts and minds.
Projects to improve the country, especially away from Kabul and including the rural areas, backed up by the military giving out prayer mats…versus the Taliban version of hearts and minds…cutting off ears and noses as a first warning to comply…followed by cutting off heads as your second and final warning.
Well, I’m afraid that there’s only one winner there.
Bob Shepherd 
Hi Bob, with recent events it got me thinking. It would be great if you could combine all your articles and further expand into a book on your adventures in Afghanistan. Naturally you have covered it in various places but I just wondered how a book on “overall” time there with photos. Just an adventurers passage in Afghanistan! Enjoying your posts. Rennie
Cheers Rennie, we did that in sorts (without photos) by writing the novel The Infidel. It’s certainly a thought worth pursuing though, thanks again.