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Photos: Afghanistan from Shah Marai’s lens, a journalist killed in Kabul blasts

Shah Marai, the chief photographer for Agence France-Presse (AFP) in Kabul, was among 25 people including 8 journalists killed today in a bombing in the Afghan capital of Kabul. At least 45 people were wounded in the twin attacks, according to Kabul police. A second blast struck journalists who had rushed to the scene of the earlier suicide attack. The Afghan affiliate of Islamic State, known as Khorasan Province, has posted a statement online claiming responsibility. Here is a small selection of Shah Marai’s work documenting his homeland.

Updated on: Apr 30, 2018 6:57 PM IST

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1/10

(An Afghan boy carries a sheep on his shoulders at a livestock market ahead of the sacrificial Eid al-Adha festival in Kabul on September 22, 2015. Tributes from colleagues described AFP photographer Shah Marai as a charismatic, courageous journalist who was dedicated to reporting on Afghanistan’s wrenching conflict. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

Updated on Apr 30, 2018 6:57 PM

(An Afghan boy carries a sheep on his shoulders at a livestock market ahead of the sacrificial Eid al-Adha festival in Kabul on September 22, 2015. Tributes from colleagues described AFP photographer Shah Marai as a charismatic, courageous journalist who was dedicated to reporting on Afghanistan’s wrenching conflict. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

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Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer Shah Marai (C) embraces colleagues Massoud Hossaini (L) and Lawrence Bartlett (R), after Hossain had won the Pulitzer Prize, at the AFP office in Kabul on April 17, 2012. The 22-year veteran of the agency leaves behind two wives and six children. (Johannes Eisele / AFP)

Updated on Apr 30, 2018 6:57 PM

Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer Shah Marai (C) embraces colleagues Massoud Hossaini (L) and Lawrence Bartlett (R), after Hossain had won the Pulitzer Prize, at the AFP office in Kabul on April 17, 2012. The 22-year veteran of the agency leaves behind two wives and six children. (Johannes Eisele / AFP)

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Afghan villagers are pictured near the scene in the landslide-hit Aab Bareek village in Argo district of Badakhshan province on May 5, 2014. Marai joined AFP as a driver in 1996, the year the Taliban seized power, and began taking pictures on the side, covering stories including the US invasion in 2001. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

Updated on Apr 30, 2018 6:57 PM

Afghan villagers are pictured near the scene in the landslide-hit Aab Bareek village in Argo district of Badakhshan province on May 5, 2014. Marai joined AFP as a driver in 1996, the year the Taliban seized power, and began taking pictures on the side, covering stories including the US invasion in 2001. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

4/10

Afghan National Army (ANA) officers march during a graduation ceremony at the Ghazi Military Training Centre in Kabul on March 31, 2011. In 2002 he became a full-time photo stringer, rising through the ranks to become chief photographer in the bureau. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

Updated on Apr 30, 2018 6:57 PM

Afghan National Army (ANA) officers march during a graduation ceremony at the Ghazi Military Training Centre in Kabul on March 31, 2011. In 2002 he became a full-time photo stringer, rising through the ranks to become chief photographer in the bureau. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

5/10

Afghan men hold chains as they wait to take part in ritual self-flagellation to celebrate the Muslim festival of Ashura, at a mosque in Kabul on January 15, 2008. Marai’s images capture not just Afghanistan’s long-running conflict but also the joys and struggles of tumultuous daily life. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

Updated on Apr 30, 2018 6:57 PM

Afghan men hold chains as they wait to take part in ritual self-flagellation to celebrate the Muslim festival of Ashura, at a mosque in Kabul on January 15, 2008. Marai’s images capture not just Afghanistan’s long-running conflict but also the joys and struggles of tumultuous daily life. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

6/10

An Afghan resident looks through a broken window at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul on January 26, 2014. Marai often spoke candidly of sleepless nights haunted by what he had seen and endured, and of his fears as Kabul slipped further into violence. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

Updated on Apr 30, 2018 6:57 PM

An Afghan resident looks through a broken window at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul on January 26, 2014. Marai often spoke candidly of sleepless nights haunted by what he had seen and endured, and of his fears as Kabul slipped further into violence. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

7/10

Security forces from the Northern Alliance group entering Kabul, during the fall of the Taliban regime on November 13, 2001. Marai was one of the few reporters to cover the bombing of Kabul ahead of the US invasion. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

Updated on Apr 30, 2018 6:57 PM

Security forces from the Northern Alliance group entering Kabul, during the fall of the Taliban regime on November 13, 2001. Marai was one of the few reporters to cover the bombing of Kabul ahead of the US invasion. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

8/10

Afghan visitors ride a fairground ride at the Park Shahar or City Park in Kabul on September 6, 2017. Following the invasion, he recalled Kabul entering what he called the “golden years”, with the Taliban ousted and peace returning for the first time in decades. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

Updated on Apr 30, 2018 6:57 PM

Afghan visitors ride a fairground ride at the Park Shahar or City Park in Kabul on September 6, 2017. Following the invasion, he recalled Kabul entering what he called the “golden years”, with the Taliban ousted and peace returning for the first time in decades. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

9/10

Afghan children play football in a field in Kabul on November 23, 2014. “We can only honour the extraordinary strength, courage, and generosity of a photographer who covered often traumatic, horrific events with sensitivity and consummate professionalism.” said Michèle Leridon, AFP Global News Director. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

Updated on Apr 30, 2018 6:57 PM

Afghan children play football in a field in Kabul on November 23, 2014. “We can only honour the extraordinary strength, courage, and generosity of a photographer who covered often traumatic, horrific events with sensitivity and consummate professionalism.” said Michèle Leridon, AFP Global News Director. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

10/10

An Afghan boy walks with balloons for sale on a cold winter's day in Kabul on February 7, 2013. Marai’s versatility and easy camaraderie was demonstrated in a message moments before the second attack, in which he reassured an AFP video colleague who was stuck in traffic and could not reach the scene. “No worry man, I am here,” he said by WhatsApp. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

Updated on Apr 30, 2018 6:57 PM

An Afghan boy walks with balloons for sale on a cold winter's day in Kabul on February 7, 2013. Marai’s versatility and easy camaraderie was demonstrated in a message moments before the second attack, in which he reassured an AFP video colleague who was stuck in traffic and could not reach the scene. “No worry man, I am here,” he said by WhatsApp. (Shah Marai / AFP File)

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