Afghanistan – A Distant War

As a photographer for TIME Magazine, Nickelsberg first observed Afghanistan in 1988 when he accompanied a group of mujahideen across the border from Pakistan. Following the Soviet Armyâ€™s withdrawal, Nickelsberg documented the countryâ€™s descent into a brutal civil war, 1992-1996, resulting in the Taliban takeover of the country in October 1996. Since 2001, heâ€™s continued going back to chronicle what he calls â€œAmericaâ€™s War.â€

Throughout his time in Afghanistan, Nickelsberg has compiled a powerful photographic essay that portrays the countryâ€™s historic transformation. Most Afghans never experience first-hand the events he captured, and through these experiences, he gained an unusually deep understanding of this complex country.

This remarkable exhibition of photographs is composed of images that are captioned with places, dates, and Nickelsbergâ€™s own extensive commentary. Timely and importantly, the exhibition and publication serve as a reminder that Afghanistan and the rest of the world remain inextricably linked, no matter how much we long to distance ourselves from its painful realities.

Note: Some of the images â€“ which convey the stark consequences of war, poverty, and oppression in Afghanistanâ€”may be disturbing to some viewers.

Works in Exhibition

Digital print April1991

Afghan mujahideen inspect a Kabul government plane after they seized Khost. Provincial control gave the Afghan mujahideen, Arabs enlisted by Al Qaeda, and Pakistani advisors valuable territory to establish base camps for training and resupply in Afghanistan.
Digital print, April 1992

Ethnic Uzbek fighters loyal to General Dostum fight off forces from Gulbuddin Hekmatyar during the mujahideen takeover of Kabul.
Digital print, March 1993

March 1993
Digital print, March 1993

March 1993
Digital print, September 1996

Taliban soldiers fire a rocket at retreating forces of the Northern Alliance army north of Kabul.
Digital print, October 1996

A Taliban mullah speaks to a crowd gathered in central Kabul after Taliban forces took control from the Rabbani government.
Digital print

NOVEMBER 2001: An Afghan shepherd in Chowkar Karez, Kandahar province shouts to his children to lead their flock of goats over to him. He stands by a wall bombed by U.S. aircraft. The death toll was nearly 50 civilians, although local residents claim Al Qaeda or Taliban were not present during the air attacks. U.S. Army called the town a military target occupied by one of the groups. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg)
Pakistani Taliban Prisoners, Digital print, December 2001

Charikar, Afghanistan, 12/09/2001. Pakistani Taliban prisoners 35 kms north of Kabul. They were captured outside of Kabul after fighting with Northern Alliance troops. All are from Punjab province in Pakistan and were trained at a religious center called Balakhot, in Faisalabad. They were recruited by Jaish-i-Mohammad, a militant islamic group believed to be associated with Osama bin Laden. They claimed to have been at Balakhot for one year where they received religious and military training.
US Army 10th Mountain Division Soldiers At Kamdesh Forward Operating Base In Nuristan

NURISTAN AFGHANISTAN: AUGUST 27 (US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT AND NEWSWEEK OUT). Three wounded US Army soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division are moved for evacuation to a helicopter in Kamdesh, Nuristan August 27, 2006, eastern Afghanistan. A short fire fight occurred with Islamic militants who fired RPG’s resulting with three soldiers wounded. The soldiers suffered shrapnel wounds to eyes and forheads. They were later medevac out by helicopter. The soldiers have been constructing a Forward Operating Base (FOB) which will soon be turned into a Provincial Reconstruction Team base. The 10th Mtn Division has been in Kamdesh since July 2006. The FOB has encountered frequent rifle and rocket fire from the surrounding high ridges launched by Taliban and forces aligned with Gulbaddin Hekmatyar, a former mujihideen commander. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
ANP in Qarabagh District Near Ghazni Afghanistan

QARABAGH – MARCH 13: Two Afghan National Policemen stand at an entry guard post at the district center in Qarabagh, Afghanistan in Ghazni province March 13, 2009. US Army soldiers belonging to a US Police Mentoring Team, PMT, traveled to Qarabagh to see how the ANP units were faring. The Americans are responsible for training and equipping local units of the Afghan National Police, ANP, throughout Afghanistan. A US-Afghan patrol inspected ANP units at nine Qarabagh district observation posts along the heavily traveled and weakly defended main highway linking Kabul with Kandahar. More than 40 of the 464 villages in the Qarabagh district are controlled by Taliban forces. The Qarabagh district ANP has 130 policemen responsible for the security of 300,000 people. In 2008, when there were 85 policemen for Qarabagh district, 24 were killed by Taliban IED’s, in ambushes or gun battles. The police force throughout Ghazni province is understaffed and under equipped. Official corruption, selling of gasoline given to ANP forces by the US military, selling of weapons to Taliban and the erratic payments of salaries to police departments are major factors for the political dysfunction and economic insecurity throughout Afghanistan.
US Army Soldiers Fly Through Watapor Valley in Kunar Province, Afghanistan

WATAPOR VALLEY – SEPTEMBER 4: US Army soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division’s 2 Brigade – 12 Infantry Regiment, based in Fort Carson, Colorado, fly through mountainous terrain along the Watapor Valley in Kunar province, Afghanistan September 4, 2009. Located in the contentious Korengal Valley, local Afghan taliban and foreign fighters have strongly resisted the presence of US forces. (Photo for the New York Times by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images) 30081329A
Digital print, May 2013

A contingent of American troops conclude their tour in Afghanistan and prepare to fly home from Bagram Air Base. Others arrive, wearing their helmets.

May 2013