In the quiet before curfew, another war arrives in Kabul

It was coming up on 9 pm, a clear night in Kabul, and few Afghans were on the streets of their capital. Curfew was beginning in a half hour, and the Taliban militia who run the capital don’t take curfew-breaking lightly.

Then, suddenly: five thunderous blasts. Anti-aircraft fire illuminating the sky. Western missiles flying over Kabul and landing - somewhere. No one knew just where.