Prisoners of war

摘要

On august 19th Afghans will take to the streets to mark 100 years of independence from Britain. They have more to protest about than to celebrate: their country has not known peace for 40 years. Afghanistan's modern woes began in earnest in 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded to prop up a communist regime. In response, America funded mujahideen rebels, escalating a bloody proxy war. The Soviet withdrawal in 1989 was followed by infighting among warlords, and then by the brutal ruleof the Taliban, an Islamist group that took over much of the country.