I go back and forth between whether I think it is worth mentioning anything about the recent riots in downtown Kabul. It was not my unit that was involved and afterwards no significant incidents arose for us. We were lucky.
The response of some of the locals is not surprising, not even the statement of an assistant to the parliamentary speaker who told an Associated Press reporter that "legislators had asked the Government to prosecute those responsible for the crash and ensuing riots."
That is ridiculous, however. I don't know any statistics, but I'm pretty sure that the Kabul area, if not the whole country, has to be one of the most dangerous places to drive in the world. It is extremely common to see children riding on the rooves of eighteen-wheelers; for vehicles of all sizes to swerve across lanes, medians, and shoulders; and for small children and livestock to meander about the edge of the road close enough to touch passing traffic.
Aside from bad driving, if you contrast the facts of this incident with the millions of dollars the US has invested in even just the local area, malicious intent just doesn't hold water.
Accidents happen here, and what happened last week was no different than any other accident, except the involvement of Americans made the event a target for people who already don't like us.
The picture is not mine, I found it on the Internet.
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