AFGHANISTAN ~ Presidential Palace - Kabul ~

... HAPPY NEW YEAR to my postcard friends🎉...thank you all for putting a smile on my face all year long💖... for myself I hope the start of 2019 will be a lot better than the way it ended... the best way to cheer myself up is to start this "new" blog year with a "new" country👍 (posted already a special one HERE, but not with Afghan stamps)... Afghanistan is in the top 10 list of most dangerous places... due to the frequent conflict and unstable political situation of the country landmarks are extremely difficult to visit... Thanks a lot Petra!【ツ】

Photo: M. Anderson (1980) Afghanistan is a landlocked country located within South-Central Asia. it is bordered by Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,Tajikistan and in the far northeast, China. Kabul serves as the capital and its largest city.

The Arg (Turkish word for citadel) serves as the presidential palace in Kabul  and sits on a 34-hectare site. The Arg was built after the destruction of the Bala Hissar in 1880 by the British Indian troops. It has been used by many Afghan kings and presidents, from Emir Abdur Rahman Khan  to current President Ashraf Ghani.

The Arg today consists of:
- The Gul Khana which serves as the offices for President Ashraf Ghani and the President's Protocol     Office.
- The Offices of the President's Chief of Staff.
- The National Security Advisor's building; and the Offices of the Spokesperson to the President.        - Offices for the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).
- Various buildings for receiving delegations or hosting large meetings.

Stamps:

United Nations Day
(Issued 25-10-1969)

The 55th Anniversary of the Birth of King Sahir Shah, 1914-2007
(Issued 14-10-1969)

Flora - International Stamp Exhibition ARGENTINA
(Issued 05-07-1985)

AFGHANISTAN ~Operation Enduring Freedom~

...This is a pretty special postcard... Written and sent by Jon, a soldier based in Afghanistan, Kabul... sent back to the USA (New York)...and then travelled to Europe, Belgium ...must have been a lot of km!
..one may be for or against this kind of missions... but the soldiers are doing dangerous jobs in dangerous places...hope you'll be safe...Many thanks Jon!!

With great postmark!! Army Post Office (APO) postal system used by U.S. military personnel stationed overseas.

"US Armed Forces join with NATO troops to battle the insurgency in Afghanistan led by the radical Taliban"
"Operation Enduring Freedom" (OEF) is the official name used by the U.S. government for the War in Afghanistan, together with a number of smaller military actions, under the umbrella of the Global "War on Terror" The term "OEF" typically refers to the war in Afghanistan.

The War in Afghanistan began on 7 October 2001, as the armed forces of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, and the Afghan United Front (Northern Alliance) launched Operation Enduring Freedom. The primary driver of the invasion was the September 11 attacks on the U.S.

The War in Afghanistan is also the United States longest running war.