The Taliban commander’s sneakers had soaked through from the melting snow, but that was the least of his problems. It was avalanche season in the Salang Pass, a rugged cut of switchback roads that gash through the Hindu Kush mountains in northern Afghanistan like some man-made insult to nature, and he was determined to keep the essential trade route open during his first season as its caretaker.

‘Fighting was easier’: Taliban take on a treacherous, avalanche-prone pass

A severe cold snap killed at least 17 people in Afghanistan on Saturday, government officials said, as heavy snowfall and rain continued to lash parts of the country.

Afghanistan: At least 17 killed due to extreme rain and snow

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‘Fighting was easier’: Taliban take on a treacherous, avalanche-prone pass

Afghanistan: At least 17 killed due to extreme rain and snow