Photos: Christmas in Afghanistan
December 26, 2012
A U.S. army woman with the NATO- led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) blows a lit candle on Christmas eve at the U.S.-led coalition base in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Dec. 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
U.S. soldiers and service members with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) wait to get food at a dinning hall on Christmas eve at the U.S.-led coalition base in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Dec. 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
NATO troops from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) prays during Christmas celebrations in Kabul December 25, 2012. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail
Christmas decorations made of cartridges are pictured inside a garage of the German Bundeswehr armed forces camp Marmal, near Mazar-e-Sharif, northern Afghanistan December 15, 2012. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
French soldiers and service members with the NATO- led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) eat Christmas dinner at a dining facility at the U.S.-led coalition base in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
Spanish and U.S. soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) wearing Santa Claus hats pose for a photograph on Christmas eve at the U.S.-led coalition base in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Dec. 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
German Bundeswehr army soldiers set up a self-painted Christmas tree for a Christmas market at their combat outpost OP North, near Baghlan, northern Afghanistan December 9, 2012. German soldiers celebrate their last Christmas at their combat outpost OP North this year before it is removed in 2013. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
Hungarian President J·nos ¡der, second right, looks at guards of honor with Afghan President Hamid Karzai after his arrival at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. ¡der is on an official visiting to Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Ahmad Jamshid, Pool)
General view of the refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. A German run charity organization, known as Johanniter, distributed winter relief assistance to some 279 internally displaced families in Kabul. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
Afghan displaced children warm themselves at a refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. A German run charity organization, known as Johanniter, distributed winter relief assistance to some 279 internally displaced families in Kabul. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
An internally displaced Afghan child rests in a cradle inside mud shelter in a makeshift camp as winter approaches in Kabul on December 4, 2012. The country has nearly half a million displaced people, many living in primitive camps where the cold weather will mean uncertainty for some. SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images
Afghan vendor Sharaf, 70, makes tea to sell to labourers in Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh province on December 22, 2012. Once known as the "mother of cities," the ancient city of Balkh was a popular destination along the ancient Silk Route. Balkh was destroyed by Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan during his rule, with the city's ruins remaining as a tourist attraction today. QAIS USYAN/AFP/Getty Images
A girl walks in a snow-covered cemetery in Kabul December 18, 2012. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail
An Afghan displaced woman sits on bags filled with fire wood provided by a German run charity organization at a refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. A German run charity organization, known as Johanniter, distributed winter relief assistance to some 279 internally displaced families in Kabul. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
Afghanistan National Police personnel are directed by an Afghan police officer during a training exercise at a police academy outside Herat on December 25, 2012. The cadets have to complete an 8 week course before graduating. Until now the training has been done by Afghan and forces from NATO's ISAF coalition but now it is run by Afghan personnel alone. Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images
Afghan policewomen walk in a line before shooting exercises at the Afghan National Police Academy shooting range, in Kabul December 9, 2012. Women in the police force were held up as a showcase for Afghan-Western efforts to promote rights in the new Afghanistan, born from the optimism that swept the country after the ouster of the Taliban in 2001. Picture taken December 9, 2012. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani
An Afghan policeman demonstrates skills during a graduation ceremony in Herat west of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012. Over 200 police security forces including eight female policewomen graduated after receiving six months of training in Herat. The process of taking over security from the NATO-led ISAF forces by Afghan troops should be completed by the end of 2014, when Afghanistan will take over the full leadership of its own security duties from U.S. and NATO forces. (AP Photo/Hoshang Hashimi)
People stroll as pigeons fly outside the Hazrat Ali, or Blue Mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif, northern Afghanistan December 21, 2012. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
Afghan displaced women stand in line to receive fire wood provided by a German run charity organization at a refugee camp in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. A German run charity organization, known as Johanniter, distributed winter relief assistance to some 279 internally displaced families in Kabul. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
Afghan men play snooker at a billiard hall in Jalalabad on December 20, 2012. Most western games were not allowed during the years of rule by the Taliban regime. Noorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images
U.S. Army Col. Andrew Poppas, left, and Canadian Brig. Gen. Dave Corbould, right, speak with reporters inside a tent at Fort Campbell, Ky., on Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. The 101st Airborne Division is training with international military partners in preparation for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan this winter. (AP Photo/Kristin M. Hall)
An Afghan female tailor works at the Elham tailoring shop in Herat on December 19, 2012. Fifteen Afghan women design and make dresses to sell at their tailoring shop. Afghanistan has been the top recipient of US aid over the past ten years, with some USD 18.8 billion flowing from Washington to projects meant to stabilise the war-torn country and win "hearts and minds" from a stubborn insurgency. Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images
An Afghan man slices tomatoes to prepare food for his local restaurant in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Ahmad Nazar)
Spectators watch as Afghan wrestlers compete at an outdoor arena at a field outside Herat on December 21, 2012. Wrestling is a popular sport in the warn-torn nation. Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images
A German Bundeswehr armed forces Tiger attack helicopter flies next to the Marmal mountain near Camp Marmal in Mazar-e-Sharif, northern Afghanistan December 20, 2012. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
An Afghan commando force stand guard at sunset in Goshti district of Nangarhar province, bordering Pakistan on December 18, 2012.The Afghan security forces, which did not exist until the Taliban fell in 2001, have been built up quickly and still lack professionalism. According to a recent Pentagon report, Afghans have "begun to assume the lead for security" in areas home to roughly 76 percent of the population. Between March and September, the United States decreased its military forces in Afghanistan by 25 percent. There are now about 68,000 US troops in the country. SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images
German Bundeswehr army soldiers are silhouetted as they walk to a Christmas market in their combat outpost OP North, near Baghlan, in northern Afghanistan, December 9, 2012. This year German soldiers are celebrating their last Christmas on the combat outpost OP North before it will removed in 2013. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
Christmas parcels are loaded by German Bundeswehr army soldiers as they arrive in an army camp in Kunduz, northern Afghanistan, December 3, 2012. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
US soldiers eat their food during a special meal on Christmas Day at Kabul International Airport on December 25, 2012. There are presently around 100,000 US-led NATO troops fighting a decade-long Taliban led insurgency in Afghanistan. Despite the stubborn insurgency, war-weary international forces are seeking to hand control of security to Afghan forces by withdrawing their combat troops by the end of 2014. SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images
A wounded Afghan (L) walks out from the site of an explosion in Kabul on December 17, 2012. A car bomb exploded at a compound owned by a US-based construction company under contract to the Afghan army, killing at least one person and wounding 15, police said. Five foreigners including some from the US and South Africa were among the wounded, a security source at the company told AFP. MASSOUD HOSSAINI/AFP/Getty Images
An Afghanistan policeman stands guard at the site of an explosion in Kabul on December 17, 2012. A car bomb exploded at a compound owned by a US-based construction company under contract to the Afghan army, killing at least one person and wounding 15, police said. Five foreigners including some from the US and South Africa were among the wounded, a security source at the company told AFP. MASSOUD HOSSAINI/AFP/Getty Images
Afghanistan policemen and security forces walk at the site of an explosion in Kabul on December 17, 2012. A car bomb exploded at a compound owned by a US-based construction company under contract to the Afghan army, killing at least one person and wounding 15, police said. Five foreigners including those from the US and South Africa were among the wounded, a security source at the company told AFP. MASSOUD HOSSAINI/AFP/Getty Images
An Afghan proprietor looks out of a window at his tea house in the old part of Kabul on December 25, 2012. Over a third of Afghans are living in abject poverty, as those in power are more concerned about addressing their vested interests rather than the basic needs of the population, a UN report said. MASSOUD HOSSAINI/AFP/Getty Images
Afghan workers use a grinder to produce knives at a workshop in the old part of Kabul on December 25, 2012. Over a third of Afghans are living in abject poverty, as those in power are more concerned about addressing their vested interests rather than the basic needs of the population, a UN report said. MASSOUD HOSSAINI/AFP/Getty Images
Afghan firefighters are pictured at the scene after a huge fire swept through a market in Kabul on December 23, 2012. A huge fire swept through a market in downtown Kabul on December 23, destroying hundreds of shops and forcing the city's nearby money exchange to evacuate, police and witnesses said. There were no reports of any casualties in the early morning blaze which destroyed most of the cloth market's 500 shops, Kabul fire department officials told AFP. SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images
An Afghan man walks through the area of a fire that swept through a market in Kabul on December 23, 2012. A huge fire swept through a market in downtown Kabul on December 23, destroying hundreds of shops and forcing the city's nearby money exchange to evacuate, police and witnesses said. There were no reports of any casualties in the early morning blaze which destroyed most of the cloth market's 500 shops, Kabul fire department officials told AFP. MASSOUD HOSSAINI/AFP/Getty Images
An internally displaced Afghan woman stands outside her mud shelter in a makeshift camp as winter approaches in Kabul on December 4, 2012. The country has nearly half a million displaced people, many living in primitive camps where the cold weather will mean uncertainty for some. SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images
A helicopter is seen behind of a pile of confiscated drugs and alcohol during a burning ceremony in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012. Around 61 tons of opium, heroin, alcohol and hashish were set on fire, officials said. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
An internally displaced Afghan girl sits inside a box as she waits for the distribution of winter assistance in Kabul December 23, 2012. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) began a winter assistance programme for returnees from Pakistan and Iran, internally displaced persons and others who are at risk in the cold weather. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani
Afghan teachers hold their respective outdoor classes in the outskirts of Mihtarlam on December 19, 2012. Decades of war and conflict in Afghanistan have destroyed hundreds of schools and colleges and many of those who are well-educated have fled to other countries, causing a severe brain drain in the country. Noorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images
An Afghan teacher holds an outdoor class in the outskirts of Mihtarlam on December 19, 2012. Decades of war and conflict in Afghanistan have destroyed hundreds of schools and colleges and many of those who are well-educated have fled to other countries, causing a severe brain drain in the country. Noorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images
An Afghan girl looks through the window of a residence in the outskirts of Jalalabad on December 26, 2012. Over a third of Afghans are living in abject poverty, as those in power are more concerned about addressing their vested interests rather than the basic needs of the population, a UN report said. Noorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images
Tents belonging to internally displaced Afghan refugees are pictured on the outskirts of Jalalabad on December 21, 2012. Over a third of Afghans are living in abject poverty, as those in power are more concerned about addressing their vested interests rather than the basic needs of the population, a UN report said. Noorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images
Afghans pray for victims killed from a mine explosion in Chaparhar, Nangarhar province east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Dec. 17, 2012. An exploding bomb or land mine killed several young girls as they were gathering firewood outside their village in the east of the country. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Afghan men labourers sit on the ground to drink tea in Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh province on December 22, 2012. Once known as the "mother of cities," the ancient city of Balkh was a popular destination along the ancient Silk Route. Balkh was destroyed by Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan during his rule, with the city's ruins remaining as a tourist attraction today. QAIS USYAN/AFP/Getty Images
An Afghan vendor watches his pigeons in the old part of Kabul on December 25, 2012. Over a third of Afghans are living in abject poverty, as those in power are more concerned about addressing their vested interests rather than the basic needs of the population, a UN report said. MASSOUD HOSSAINI/AFP/Getty Images
In this Monday, Dec. 24, 2012 file photo, Afghan police officers stand guard outside of Kabul police headquarters, where a an American contractor was killed, in Kabul, Afghanistan. On Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, the Interior Ministry said a policewoman, identified as Sgt. Nargas, who shot and killed 49-year-old Joseph Griffin in Kabul on Monday, was a native Iranian who came to Afghanistan and displayed "unstable behavior" but had no known links to militants. It was the first such shooting by a woman in the spate of insider attacks. On Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, a suicide bombing at the gate of a major U.S. military base in eastern Afghanistan killed the attacker and three Afghans, Afghan police said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. NATO forces and foreign civilians have also been increasingly attacked by rogue Afghan military and police, eroding trust between the allies. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)
An Afghan policeman (R) talks to a NATO soldier (L) at the site of an explosion in Kabul on December 17, 2012. A car bomb exploded at a compound owned by a US-based construction company under contract to the Afghan army, killing at least one person and wounding 15, police said. Five foreigners including those from the US and South Africa were among the wounded, a security source at the company told AFP. MASSOUD HOSSAINI/AFP/Getty Images
A U.S. soldier from the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) prays during Christmas Eve celebrations in Kabul, December 24, 2012. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani
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