Overall, I spent 6 years working in Afghanistan from early 2004 to 2010.
In that time, I took over 1000 photos, from the Kuchi tribe’s females in their beautiful colourful clothing, kids playing in the streets or looking after their animals in the countryside, Afghan men of all ages with their beards and head dress, to Afghan soldiers training and on operations.
Many of my photos including this one, have been put up on my blog over the years.
I chose this one mainly for it’s artistic craziness.
250 recruits being trained by one US military instructor with an interpreter. I couldn’t fit them all in to the frame, and most didn’t even know what was required of them.
A ten week training course pushed through like a sausage machine. At one point an instructor is showing the same group how to strip down the breech block of the M16. Only the front 5 could see properly. Part of the way back, they couldn’t even hear the interpreter…even if much of what was being said between instructor and interpreter was being lost in translation.
M16s? Yes, the US military industrial complex did well…$$$$$$$$$$$$! The M16 being just one of many US products handed over and paid for by the US taxpayer and others.
What a complete mess Afghanistan and it’s situation was. Inept US foreign policies being implemented by inept US generals. With a certain few making it big.
Never again?
Bob Shepherd 
As always Bob, your picture paints a thousand words.
Sums it all up, a promise of a plan, in reality not deliverable. In theory, trained 250 men, in reality trained the front five.
Great post as always Bob
If only eh!!
Thanks for your insights as always Bob. Don’t know if you’ve read this but very interesting! American industrial military complex at work!
‘Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Baghdad’s Green Zone’ by Rajiv Chandrasekaran. Amazon have it in stock.