What I found most fascinating about this Dutch ‘ Police Training Mission’ is the coming together and cooperating together of two different cultures. The mutual respect and the commitment on both sides gave me much hope for a change to come in Afghanistan. A change, though slowly, to a more democratic, freedom-loving and female-friendly future..

The boy with the star-hat was my ‘assistent’ during this fotoshoot on the streets of Kunduz City. He arranged children to pose and spoke his English very well. And although it seems so far away, I wish him and all these Afghan children a truly bright and beautiful future..

Policemen in their sleeping/living room at the Police Headquarters of Kunduz City

These amazingly brave women are trained to assist the Afghan Police.

Private Robert and Corporal Tim

Corporal Tim with his mates: private Nick, and sitting: the privates Arjan and Maurits at Camp Kunduz.

I spent my day at the ANA Camp, near Camp Kunduz. Here, the men of the Afghan Uniformed Police are trained by the Dutch Military Police in a 10 weeks course.

Corporal Rudy with search dog Joyce

There is a little barber shop at the camp. These men are the owners: Haji Faiz Mohammed and his son Rahmatullah.

Because of the terrible noise inside a military plane, it’s impossible to chat. So everybody’s closing his eyes and starts to doze off..

I’m currently stuck at the military base in Kabul. All flights to the north are full, I have to wait till at least tomorrow. Can’t take a stroll without an escort, because I have no pass. Suffering from a depressing deja-vu …