Helmand's forgotten American past

Documentary film maker Adam Curtis (The Power of Nightmares, The Century of the Self, etc) has written a wonderful blog entry about US involvement in the development of Afghanistan - and in particular Helmand Province - in the years following the Second World War. The city of Lashkar Gar was planned and built by American companies, as were the hundreds of miles of canals that now provide such excellent cover for Taliban fighters. The blog includes some great film clips and stills from publicity material produced at the time.