AFGHANISTAN / the air war
 Afghan Air Force helicopters land at a base in northern Afghanistan. |  An American F-16 fighter pilot, call sign "Chunk," prepares for a combat mission in Afghanistan. |  Afghan National Army soldiers sit around a wounded comrade as they are evacuated from Uruzgan province aboard an Afghan Air Force Mi-17 helicopter. |
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 A mechanic works on the cockpit of an F-16 fighter aircraft at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan. |  An American MQ-9 Reaper drone sits at Kandahar Airfield. |  A U.S. Air Force sensor operator helps guide a drone. |
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 Men stranded by an avalanche wave to an Afghan air force helicopter delivering supplies. |  Pilots prepare a C-130 transport aircraft for a mission. |  Maintenance crews work after dark to prepare an F-16 Fighting Falcon for a combat mission at Bagram Air Field. |
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 Fighter pilots' gear and personal belongings sit in lockers at Bagram Air Field. |  U.S. Army helicopters fly over Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan in early 2013. |  An MQ-9 Reaper drone taxis at Kandahar Airfield. |
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 Afghan Air Force helicopters sit at Kandahar Airfield. |  Men load emergency supplies for avalanche victims onto an Afghan Air Force Mi-17 helicopter in Panjshir Valley. |  Pilots prepare for a nighttime airdrop mission aboard a U.S. Air Force C-130 transport aircraft at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. |
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 A U.S. Army crew chief scans for threats from the door of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter over Kandahar. |  An American F-16 fighter aircraft sits in a hanger at Bagram Air Field. |  American helicopters sit at a base in Kandahar province. |
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 Mechanics work on the missile launch mechanism on an F-16 fighter aircraft. |  A U.S. Air Force airman looks out the window of a Black Hawk helicopter in southern Afghanistan. |  An Afghan air force crew chief mans a machine gun in the door of a Mi-17 helicopter over Uruzgan province. |
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 Czech mechanics work on an Afghan air force Mi-35 gunship in Kabul. |  Ground crew work on an MQ-9 Reaper drone. |  An Afghan air force crew chief mans a machine gun during a mission to resupply victims of an avalanche in Panjshir. |
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 A crew chief helps a pilot prepare for a mission in an F-16 Fighting Falcon. |  A technician performs avionics maintenance on an F-16 Fighting Falcon. |  A U.S. Air Force adviser provides security on the rear ramp of an Afghan air force Mi-17 helicopter. |
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 An ambulance driver watches a helicopter arrive with new casualties at a base in northern Afghanistan. |
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HONG KONG / street protests
AFGHANISTAN / ashoura
IRAQ / an army in training
 An Iraqi soldier runs during a combat exercise led by American military advisers. |  An instructor teaches a volunteer militia fighter how to use a rocket propelled grenade launcher at a training camp in Kurdistan. |  Iraqi army soldiers run to take positions during an exercise at a training camp south of Baghdad. |
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 An Iraqi air force Mi-28 attack helicopter fires rockets at a target south of Baghdad. |  Iraqi army soldiers practice clearing a house during American-led training at a camp south of Baghdad. |  A U.S. Army soldier works out in a gym at a Besmaya Combat Training Center south of Baghdad. |
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 An Iraqi army soldier fires his Kalashnikov rifle during a training exercise. |  An Iraqi air force Mi-28 attack helicopter circles ground forces during a combined exercise. |  U.S. Army advisers run from fires set during a combat training exercise with Iraqi troops near Baghdad. |
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 Iraqi army engineers use explosives to blow a hole in concrete blast walls during a combat exercise. |
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NORTH KOREA / return of the mass games
AFGHANISTAN / buzkashi
SOUTH KOREA / military drills
NORTH KOREA / torchlight parade
AFGHANISTAN / in the shadow of conflict
 Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah casts his vote during the first round of the 2014 elections. |  A shopkeeper looks out the window of his shop, shattered during a deadly suicide attack on a government bus in Kabul, Afghanistan. |  Baseera Sultani, a pregnant mother of one, had just fed her baby when her house collapsed from a massive truck bomb explosion in Kabul. |
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 Residents of Kabul light candles that spell out the word "peace" at a vigil for victims of insurgent attacks. |  A boy covers his mouth and nose as workers remove the body of a Taliban insurgent killed by Afghan security forces during an attack on the Kabul airport. |  An activist hangs a sign on the ruins of a building destroyed by a truck bomb in Kabul. |
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 An Afghan woman holds her child in the halls of a mosque in Herat, in western Afghanistan. |  Fighters compete in a mixed martial arts match in Kabul |  A man sells balloons in downtown Kabul. |
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 Kabul residents dig through the rubble of their house seeking victims and possessions after a deadly truck bomb attack. |  Men pray during Ramadan at Jama Masjid in Herat, Afghanistan. |  A young man looks out at the devastation from a truck bomb in Kabul. |
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 A police officer gestures as he oversees the removal of the bodies of Taliban fighters killed during an attack in Kabul. |  A mixed martial arts fighter celebrates after winning a match |  A poll worker guards a ballot box during the first round of Afghanistan's 2014 presidential election. |
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 A member of an elite Afghan police unit secures the scene of a suicide bombing in Kabul. |  Refugees flee fighting in Helmand province. |  Residents pick through the remains of shops destroyed by a truck bomb in Kabul. |
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 Two women walk in the streets of Lashkar Gah, Helmand province. |  A guard points out the remains of Darul Aman Palace in Kabul. |  Afghan police examine the remains of a Taliban insurgent killed during an attack on Kabul's international airport. |
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 A gunmaker holds a replica musket in his shop in Kabul. |  Afghan boys play in a swimming pool, seeking relief from sweltering summer heat in western Afghanistan. |  Thousands of supporters of presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah march during a rally in Panjshir province, Afghanistan. |
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 Police, media, and onlookers step over the bodies of Taliban militants killed in a gun battle in Kabul. |  Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah waves to supporters as he arrives at a rally in Panjshir province. |  Afghan women line up to vote in Kabul during the first round of the 2014 presidential election. |
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 A man holds his registration card as he waits to vote in the 2014 presidential election. |  A young boy waits in a market in Kandahar province. |  Police stand by a cordon outside the scene of a suicide bombing in Kabul. |
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 A boy walks through an intersection in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province. |
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NORTH KOREA / pyongyang
IRAQ / life goes on
 An Iraqi man smokes a water pipe at a cafe in downtown Baghdad. |  Men play dominoes under a painting of Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum in a cafe in Baghdad. |  A man gets his hair cut in a Baghdad barbershop. |
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 Shoppers relax at a cafe inside a mall in Baghdad |  A woman carries her child while shopping in the book market. |  Men prepare traditional flat bread at a roadside bakery. |
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 Women wave flags as they walk during a pilgrimage from Baghdad to Samarra. |  A street vendor cooks falafel. |  An antiques dealer examines old coins at his shop in old town Baghdad. |
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 Young women look at window displays at a mall in Baghdad. |
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RUSSIA AND KYRGYZSTAN /