Could this be a screenshot from George A. Romeros' newest horror flick? Afghanistan has a number of qualifying elements that make it a contender.

The Set: It's a barren and lonely place that feels as if the 8th century skipped a few grades into the 21st. Bands of illiterate goat herders mingle with cell phone toting Kandahar merchants in a landscape that is perpetually enveloped by a grey, ashen cloud of dust that resembles a fog bank but feels like asbestos as it filters through my laboring respiratory system. It's not too surprising that the average life expectancy for both men and women is only 44 years...and change.

The Players: The general population seems to be genuinely thrilled with the presence of their most recent occupiers: ISAF (International Security Assistance Force). On the flip side, there's The Taliban; an elusive and menacing gaggle of Jihadists that socialize with the Afghan population like drunken cocktail party crashers who can't help but offend and never realize when it's time to leave. They are a curious lot of religious zealots and trigger happy card carrying members of The Afghan Rod & Gun Club who remain bent on tormenting the innocents through the final frames of this real life horror show.

The Props: As a grim testament to their ten year occupation of Afghanistan, one has to give kudos to the former Soviet war machine. Their instruments of death have long outlasted their stay in this country. While I stretch out in my less than cozy rack, I dream of greener places and wonder when the Taliban will reach out into the chilly Afghan night with their antique Soviet 107 mm rockets. I don't have long to wonder. The shriek of the "incoming" alarm is enough to make the strongest of hearts skip a beat. "REMEMBER...you only have 3 seconds to plant your face on the floor!" Wait a full 2 minutes after the last explosion (kind of like when you calculated the distance of lightning when you were a kid) then make a bee line for the nearest concrete bunker to wait until the "all clear" alarm sounds. Only then, do I shuffle back to my dusty tent. Rinse. Repeat.

The Special Effects: Afghanistan is a geologically active country and experiences constant micro quakes. As a result, they say, nothing ever stays buried in this ancient land; from skeletons to the landmines of wars fought long ago. If it was once buried here, it'll eventually claw its way back to the surface.

Sounds like a horror movie to me.