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Mission 22 -Satellite Photo
Dai Chopan: The Taliban Trap

Dai Chopan lies 190 miles southwest of Kabul on the border of Zabul province, a treacherous territory where 70 percent of residents are either guerrilla supporters or common outlaws. A stronghold for anti-US forces, Dai Chopan has taken center stage in the War on Terror in Afghanistan in recent months. It’s been the scene of repeated ambushes and attacks. Aid workers and US and Afghan soldiers have been killed here.

With 5,000 occupants scattered among the barren mountains of southeastern Afghanistan, the remote village is a bleak landscape dotted with dusty farmhouses. Almond harvests are a rare source of revenue, but the sacks are not readily shipped away. Market-bound truckers hesitate venturing into Dai Chopan because it is a perilous border town in the very heart of Taliban country.

Dai Chopan is home to the fiercest fighting since the Taliban was officially expelled in 2001. Clashes last August and early September left more than 100 Taliban dead, but the region’s reign of terrorists is steadfast. Rewards are offered to Dai Chopan residents who fight against the US, and the Taliban has issued death warrants for US soldiers, UN aid workers, Afghan police, and all journalists.