A Trip to Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley: A CGS Alumn’s Perspective
Update since post publishing date: Trevithick recently released a book, An Undesirable Element: An Afghan Memoir, co-authored with book subject and relentless educator Sharif Fayez. The book recounts Fayez’s upbringing in Afghanistan, bearing witness to turbulent events like the Communist invasion of 1979 and Iranian revolution of 1979, ultimately driving him out of the country. He becomes a prominent voice of resistance against the Taliban and extremism in the 1990s, and eventually returns to Afghanistan in 2002 as the Minister of Higher Education. Many attribute Fayez as the driving force behind the Afghan education system overhaul, and the many strides it has made since. Foreward by former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker.
Matt Trevithick (CGS ’06, CAS 08′) received the University Alumni Award this past fall for his work in Afghanistan, specifically for bringing his passion for rowing to Kabul. However, that’s certainly not the only thing he’s been up to in Afghanistan. Trevithick recently co-authored an article in The Daily Beast, bringing readers to one of the deadliest and most infamous valleys in the Middle East, Korengal Valley. He and his partner, Daniel Seekman, were the first Westerners granted permission to enter the valley in more than three decades. As U.S. presence dwindles, Trevithick and Seckman share this rare experience and offer unique perspective into the current state of Afghanistan.
Full text may be found here: “Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley” (The Daily Beast)
Photo courtesy of The Daily Beast. Original source: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty