Civilian rule has returned, and Afghan leaders have struggled to build a democratic system on the ashes of conflict, warlord predations and religious repression. In some ways, Samim was a product of his time and place in the urban youth culture of postwar Afghanistan. And then came the night of Sept. 5, when the culture of death met the culture of competitive war journalism. The answers to these questions point to how little has changed despite 17 years of Afghan and international efforts. When Samim died, he was still a young, restless soul with a dark, brooding side who had not yet found his ultimate calling.

Source: Washington Post September 09, 2018 17:37 UTC