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Coverage of Terrorism
Revealing Beauty in the Harshness of War
On his journeys to Afghanistan, Iranian photographer
Reza used his camera to document the life and times of
General Ahmed Shah Massoud, the Northern Alliance
leader who was assassinated on September 9, 2001. In
1985, Reza encountered Soviet army attacks in the snowy
mountainous pass that first led him into Afghanistan.
Five years later, he rode on a tank with Massoud as his
forces entered Kabul. And earlier this year, Reza returned
to Afghanistan with author Sebastian Junger, who wrote
about Massoud. Reza’s images convey a sense of beauty
otherwise hidden by the harshness of war. In a career
that has spanned 20 years, Reza has worked as a contract
photographer with Time, Life and National Geographic,
and as an Iranian correspondent for Sipa Press
during the 1979 hostage-taking at the American Embassy
and during the Iranian-Iraqi war.
Massoud (third from left) is surrounded by close advisors. May
1985. Photo by Reza/Webistan.©
A woman in a burka walks near a mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif.
1990. Photo by Reza/Webistan.©
Exodus from Afghanistan. January 1990. Photo by Reza/Webistan.©
52 Nieman Reports / Winter 2001