Photo of the day: Long road home

A lone Afghan National Army soldier stands guard at a checkpoint near Bagram U.S. air base, on the day the last of American and Nato troops vacated it amid Taliban surge, Parwan province, Afghanistan July 2, 2021. In the districts captured by the surging Taliban, violently ultra-conservative laws are returning, reviving dark memories of the 90s. 

Image: Mohammad Ismail / Reuters