Afghanistan: A Photo Essay

Photographs by Thomas Lee, Northwestern University

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, led to U.S. and allied military action in Afghanistan, Americans have been seeking to secure a country in need of safety, reconstruction, and a stable government. Life in Afghanistan remains difficult, and the U.S. and allied presence there still draws resistance, such as the suicide bombing near the U.S. embassy on Friday. Our news media are soaked with images of flames, terror, and tragedy. As we remember the innocent people killed by terrorists five years ago in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, we also remember the suffering of people in Afghanistan, who live every day in a land scarred by war.

Thomas Lee, a recent graduate of Northwestern University, made these photographs on a trip to document the work of a U.S.- based nonprofit organization that supports poor Afghan women and families by connecting their work as rug weavers to consumers in the United States, and by providing them with basic services such as health care. This year, Lee was named Nonprofessional Photographer of the Year in the Editorial category in the International Photography Awards. His account of the trip to Afghanistan is below. –Campus Progress

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