The Players

Urartu Mehmet

Mustafa Kusman at Cavustepe. The small carpark on top of the hill, at the Urartian fortress ruins at Cavustepe, offers an impressive panorama of the surrounding countryside. A lush green plain, between two ridges, is laid out at our feet, sparsely punctuated with the occasional Kurdish village. A small hut at the entrance to the…

The Rescuers

Say hello to the U.S. Army’s general order number one – NO ALCOHOL!! But it’s not all bad for being locked down 24/7: The jailed Taliban who reside about one hundred feet from my tent don’t drink anyway, so no harm-no foul for those sons-of-bitches. If anyone wants to send me a kite, however, I…

Gangland San Salvador

The quiet dirt street seems peaceful enough. An old lady is waiting out the afternoon heat under a shade tree. A small child is happily playing with a dog. Occasionally a car will pass by, the driver greeting neighbors through the rolled-down window. As I stand here in the Central American midday sun, it is…