Authors: Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Fahim Abed
Affiliation: Thomas Gibbons-Neff is a New York Times correspondent in the Kabul bureau and a former US Marine infantryman
Organization/Publisher: New York Times
Date/Place: January 2021/ USA
Type of Literature: Photojournalism article
Word Count: 1480
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/world/asia/taliban-sneakers-cheetahs.html?searchResultPosition=5
Keywords: Taliban, Military Dress-Code, Afghanistan
Brief:
This article is a descriptive photo-based study of a symbolic icon of fear in Afghanistan called “Cheetah-sneakers” that have been produced in Pakistan since the 1980’s. The popular shoes have been worn by insurgents for decades since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Although the shoes have been used by mostly men fighting in the rocky mountains, they have a connotation towards Taliban insurgent identity. Although not acknowledged, the shoes could be interpreted as a military dress-code of Taliban groups. Residents across the country carry dark memories of these sneakers, which have become synonymous with violence. Interviews indicate that the ordinary people affiliate these sneakers to the Taliban. Ironically, although the vendors refrain from giving information about their customers, the shoes (and now knockoff imitations) are traded in the open market.
By: Abdullah Jurat, CIGA Senior Research Associate
