EPISODE in the WHITE MOUNTAINS near the DURAND LINE, the AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN BORDER

September, 2012

Faint red light shows from the mouth of a cave in a mountainous region on an overcast night.

Two bearded men in turbans come out, AK-47s on slings. One of them is singing sourly. They step into the bushes just below the cave-mouth and reach for the waistbands of their loose pants. Black-clothed arms strike from behind them like snakes, covering their mouths and ...