This stretch of Afghanistan’s Route 1, a 300 mile / $300 million dollar highway, was meant to link Kabul to Kandahar, be a lifeline, and to symbolize a new Afghanistan. Instead, throughout the USA’s longest war, it was the most perilous road in the country. Gunfire, roadside bombs, extortion. Countless people were killed. During the 12 or so years I worked in Afghanistan, it was always off limits. In December 2022, I made the drive to see how things have changed under new Taliban control.
