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This Happened

This Happened—December 27: Brutal End For A Woman Political Icon

Benazir Bhutto, twice Prime Minister of Pakistan, and then leader of the opposition Pakistan People's Party, had been campaigning ahead of elections scheduled for January 2008 when she was shot, in a suicide terrorist attack.

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When Was Benazir Bhutto killed?

After eight years in exile in Dubai and London, while her court cases for corruption remained pending in foreign and Pakistani courts, Bhutto returned to prepare for the 2008 national elections, with a possible power-sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf. Upon her return to the country to begin campaigning, she was killed on December 27, 2007.

What happened after Benazir Bhutto’s death?

After her death, supporters rioted and reportedly chanted "Dog, Musharraf, dog", referring to President Pervez Musharraf. Others attacked police and burned election campaign posters. Though the upcoming elections would be postponed, opposition groups said that the assassination could lead to a civil war. After protests broke out, Musharraf ordered a crackdown on rioters and looters to "ensure safety and security", but in the end, over 100 people died, either by police or in the crossfire.

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Green Or Gone

Confronting Climate Change And The Taliban In Afghanistan

Amid a severe drought, Afghan scientists are asking the international community to engage with the brutal regime.

Photo of a man and his goats walking on a dried out river in Afghanistan

A man tends to his flock of goats on in a dried out river bed outside Kandahar, Afghanistan

Ruchi Kumar

This past December, a fleet of colorful swan-shaped boats lined the muddy banks of Qargha Lake, a reservoir on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. The boats’ owner, 50-year-old Shah Maqsoud Habibi, said his business has vanished, along with much of the lake, a once popular weekend destination for war weary Afghans.

Over the past few years, a series of droughts have gripped the country, causing reservoirs and other water bodies to dry up. “If there is no water, there is no business for me, and without work, I cannot feed my family,” said Habibi.

Local residents share similar concerns. “I have lived here for 16 years, and this is the first time I am seeing the lake empty,” said 21-year-old Rashid Samim. For two years, he hasn’t been able to properly water his apple and cherry orchards or his modest potato farm, leading to smaller yields.

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