Three months ago, the southern Afghan city of Kandahar looked to be dangerously unstable after the murders of Kandahar kingpin Ahmed Wali Karzai and the city's mayor. Despite fears of a struggle to fill the leadership vacuum, some Kandaharis say life is better without those power brokers.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveled to Afghanistan to encourage the country's leadership to keep up reconciliation efforts with the Taliban. In a meeting with President Hamid Karzai on Thursday, she stressed the U.S. will stay committed to the country long after U.S. troops are drawn down.

Villagers near the Afghan city of Kandahar say Afghan troops, and their U.S. mentors, forced civilians to march ahead of soldiers on roads where landmines were suspected. No one was hurt, but the incident raises questions about how civilians are being caught between the warring parties.

Sgt. Nathan Harris was part of the unit where photographer-filmmaker Danfung Dennis was embedded in Afghanistan. After Harris was wounded in a firefight, Dennis realized the story of his recovery was inextricable from the story of his war.