Afghan Post: Delivering Letters and Diplomacy

The Afghan postal service was established in 1870 and, had developed, by 1970, into a modern service that allowed Afghans to send letters around the world. But years of war, followed by the Taliban regime, have set the postal service back in time. A building boom since 2001 across the country has added to the service’s problems. In Kabul, the city’s population has grown in size by nearly five times since 2001, and the city still lacks any system of street naming or numbering. We follow postman Walid on his rounds, while back at the main sorting office, the service’s operations manager offers a perspective on the history of the mail service in Afghanistan, war, stamps and diplomacy. Also available in high definition