Pretty Side of War: Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan

In 2010, there were 34 provinces throughout Afghanistan. One of the most scenic and secure was the Panjshir Province. From 1979 through 1989, Soviet forces tried to conquer and hold the Panjshir Valley. The "invaders" met fierce resistance from the Mujahadeen fighters, led by the "Lion of Panjshir," Ahmad Shah Massoud. As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in the early 1990s, Massoud again led the resistance to tyranny from the Panjshir Valley. He was killed on Sept. 9, 2001, just two days before the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Although it has seen more than 30 years of war, the Panjshir Province still holds much natural beauty, as photographed in 2010 in this picture book.