Life and war in Afghanistan: September 2012

Photos of everyday life in Afghanistan as coalition forces attempt to transfer responsibilities to Afghan troops.

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Sept. 7, 2012

Afghan youths pose as they ride a donkey on the outskirts of Herat. Despite billions of dollars in Western development aid, the United Nations says half of Afghanistan's estimated population of 30 million live below the poverty line in what remains one of the world's poorest countries.

Aref Karimi / AFP/Getty Images

Sept. 4, 2012

A blind Afghan student reads Braille during a lesson at a blind school in Kabul. The vocational school, the only blind school in Afghanistan, was established in 1977 and has more than 187 students — boys and girls.

Omar Sobhani / Reuters

Sept. 8, 2012

Afghans carry a wreath to mark the 11th anniversary of the death of Afghan national hero Ahmed Shah Massoud in Kabul. Massoud fought the Taliban at the head of the Northern Alliance until his assassination two days before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in the United States.

Omar Sobhani / Reuters

Sept. 8, 2012

An Afghan boy poses in front of a picture of slain national hero Ahmed Shah Massoud on a monument built in his memory.

Omar Sobhani / Reuters

Sept. 5, 2012

An Afghan boy flies a kite on top of a mountain in Kabul.

Ahmad Jamshid / AP

Sept. 6, 2012

An Afghan National Police servicewoman salutes during a graduation ceremony at a police training center in Herat. The Taliban are involved in a quarter of Afghan security personnel attacks on NATO colleagues, according to a military commander. The surge of assaults, unprecedented in modern warfare, have seen Afghan troops opening fire on their NATO colleagues more than 30 times this year, killing at least 45 foreign troops — most of them Americans.

Aref Karimi / AFP/Getty Images

Sept. 3, 2012

Afghan women cross a street in the city of Herat.

Aref Karimi / AFP/Getty Images

Sept. 3, 2012

Afghan women ride on the back of a cart in Herat.

Aref Karimi / AFP/Getty Images

Sept. 4, 2012

An Afghan man sells fruit in a market in Kabul. Over a third of Afghans are living in abject poverty, according to a recent U.N. report.

Jose Cabezas / AFP/Getty Images

Sept. 3, 2012

An Afghan man poses for a picture on top of Wazir Akbar Khan Hill in Kabul.

Jose Cabezas / AFP/Getty Images

Sept. 3, 2012

An Afghan youth rides his bike in Kabul.

Jose Cabezas / AFP/Getty Images

Sept. 3, 2012

An Afghan boy tries to catch a falling kite at a hilltop in Kabul.

Mohammad Ismail / Reuters

Sept. 3, 2012

Afghan women walk during a dust storm in Kabul.

Mohammad Ismail / Reuters

Sept. 2, 2012

An Afghan laborer works at a brick factory on the outskirts of Kabul.

Jose Cabezas / AFP/Getty Images

Sept. 2, 2012

An Afghan laborer cooks a meal at a brick factory on the outskirts of Kabul.

Jose Cabezas / AFP/Getty Images

Sept. 6, 2012

Sgt. Walls Truman from the Army’s 3rd Platoon, Delta Company, 1-64 Armored Battalion keeps vigil during a nighttime operating post at Devil Hill near the Kandahar airfield.

Tony Karumba / AFP/Getty Images

Sept. 6, 2012

A young Afghan shepherd tends his sheep at a field near the village of Morghan-Kecha as a soldier from the 1st Platoon, 1-64 Armored Battalion, secures a perimeter during a patrol in Daman district, Kandahar.

Tony Karumba / AFP/Getty Images

Sept. 6, 2012

A young Afghan boy covers his face in a shoal as he comes to greet soldiers in Daman district, Kandahar.

Tony Karumba / AFP/Getty Images

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: Many seminary graduates are choosing not to become pastors. Rebecca J. Cole received her Master of Divinity and is becoming a community organizer on Capitol Hill. She hugs another graduate after the ceremony. The 2013 Commencement ceremony for Wesley Theological Seminary was held on May 13 at the Washington National Cathedral. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

Eager to minister, but not from the pulpit

An increasing number of divinity students who don’t plan to become pastors envision using their degrees to “minister” in a...

ARLINGTON, VA- MAY 17: Thousands of bike enthusiasts took to the streets Friday, May 17, 2013 in celebration of Bike to Work day. Bikers leave the Rosslyn Gateway Park pit stop on Friday morning. Commuter Connections and The Washington Area Bicyclist Association hosted cyclists at 70 pit stops across the metropolitan region. (Photo by Amanda Voisard/For the Washington Post)

Thousands participate in Bike to Work Day

More than 14,000 people registered for the area's annual celebration of commuting on two wheels.

epa03704474 A Muslim woman at the ThetKalPyin temporary relief camp near Sittwe in Rakhine State, Western Myanmar, 17 May 2013. A total of 13 people were confirmed dead in neighboring Bangladesh as people began to return home from shelters, a day after Cyclone Mahasen hit the coast, officials said 17 May. EPA/NYEIN CHAN NAING

Photos of the day

Cyclone Mahasen, Texas tornadoes, puffin census, melting Swiss glacier and more.

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 16: American Idol Season 12 Winner Candice Glover (C) is seen onstage during Fox's 'American Idol 2013' Finale Results Show at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on May 16, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Candice Glover wins 12th season of ‘American Idol’

The 23-year-old vocal powerhouse from St. Helena Island, S.C., tops competition in her third try.

US actress Claire Julien smiles on May 16, 2013 while posing during a photocall for the film 'The Bling Ring' at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. Cannes, one of the world's top film festivals, opened on May 15 and will climax on May 26 with awards selected by a jury headed this year by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (Photo credit should read ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Claire Julien, David Hasselhoff, Freida Pinto, Candice Glover, Martin Short and more.

**LOC IMAGE** Geo. Hamilton, Assistant Superintendent, Cambria Iron Mills house, Johnstown Flood, May 31st, 1889. (Photo by Ernest Walter Histed / Library of Congress)

The Johnstown Flood of 1889

On May 31, 1889, the South Fork dam that held Lake Conemaugh failed, and 20 million tons of water descended upon Johnstown, Pa. The flood claimed the lives of 2,209 people and spurred...

HACIPASA, TURKEY - MAY 5: Syrian refugee Hala ponders her life on the run on Sunday, May 5, 2013, in Hacipasa, Turkey. Three times this morning, the sounds of aircrafts were followed by explosions that shook the ground. Hacipasa, which sits just across the river border from Syria, is home of several hundred Syrian refugees who have been displaced by their home country's conflict. For a year, Hala and her family have been displaced from their home village in Syria because of violent conflict. After bouncing from village to village, fleeing bombings that seemed to follow them, the family crossed into Turkey six weeks ago. Initially, the family was deported back into Syria, where they lived in camps for internally displaced Syrians. But when the camps were bombed, the family was allowed to cross into Turkey. Hala said, 'The blood of the people who died in Syria, the martyrs, is our sad song, but nobody is listening.' (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Turkey faces a refugee crisis

More than 400,000 Syrians have crossed into Turkey seeking refuge from the conflict at home. Finding its resources stretched, Turkey is urgently appealing for international aid and...

(FILES) In this file picture taken on January 31, 2013 British football player David Beckham poses presenting his new jersey after a press conference at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. David Beckham is to retire from professional football at the end of the season, his representative announced on May 16, 2013. The 38-year-old midfielder has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy and AC Milan, as well as winning 115 caps for England, and recently won the French Ligue 1 championship with Paris Saint-Germain. AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFEFRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images

David Beckham announces his retirement

The 38-year-old British soccer superstar says he will retire when his French team’s season ends May 26.

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