Life goes on in Afghanistan.
Around 14 million people live along Highway 1, a 2,000-kilometre ring road that snakes around the Hindu Kush, connecting the country’s largest cities – Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kabul, Ghazni and Kandahar.
It is fraught with danger. As Nato withdraws after a 13-year military presence, optimism and foreboding are palpable among residents.
This photo essay from The Guardian gives us a glimpse into the lives of people who live along Highway 1.
Dari, one of the two main languages of Afghanistan, is close to Farsi. The satellite radio and internet radio programs of Radio Mojdeh can also be understood by millions of Afghans.