Khyber Rifles

To understand why Pakistan is so unstable and such a fertile ground for the Taliban and al-Qaeda, one must understand what Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Provinces and Federally Administered Tribal Areas are all about: lawlessness, and where the Taliban rules, not Pakistani authority. But what, exactly, is that province, and what are those "tribal areas"?

After September 11, 2001, when the United States and British armed forces engaged in war with the Taliban during Operation Enduring Freedom, a number of Afghans fled their country to Pakistan. By the end of 2001, there were approximately 5 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, which also included the numbers that were born inside that country during the past 20 years.

Carlos Villalon photographed in Peshawar, the areas over the Khyber pass and the North West Frontier.