This unfinished building overlooking the US Embassy compound was probably used by the Taliban in the current attack.

In 2009, while visiting Kabul, I was astonished by the fortifications that had arisen around a large swathe of land comprising the US Embassy, NATO headquarters, the Presidential Palace, key ministries and other embassies. Given the hilly topography and urban layout of Kabul, this cordoning off of a large chunk of the centre caused considerable traffic and access problems for ordinary Kabulis.

I drove around the outside of what I termed the ‘Green Zone’ by analogy with Baghdad taking photographs of the fortifications. I used these photographs and a hand-drawn map of Kabul for my installation “Kabul Pavilion” at the Mediamatic Biennial in Amsterdam, 2009.

For the benefit of those following the news in Kabul today, here’s the map of the ‘Green Zone’ in Kabul where the attacks are taking place, and a couple of the photographs of the perimeter, as seen from outside.

For the security of the foreigners (in this case the ISAF/NATO headquarters compound) the sidewalks have been sacrificed, forcing Afghans to walk among the traffic