In 2006, there were 123 suicide attacks in total. By the end of August 2007, 125 attacks had already been reporte. More than 120 civilians have already died in suicide attacks this year. Apart from Kandahar province, the attackers tend to focus on the capital Kabul, and in particular on the Jalalabad Road.

“I never feel safe on this road,” said Ajmal, an Afghani student. “Whenever a vehicle gets close to our bus, my fellow students are always scared that it might be a suicide bomber.”

The Jalalabad Road, also known as the Puli Charki Road, used to be one of the most popular shopping streets in Kabul. It has two lanes of traffic which are divided by a concrete barrier. The road was recently reconstructed and asphalted, however, the redevelopment has not guaranteed a higher level of security.

Bad for business

“This is the most dangerous road in Kabul”, said Helal who has a shop on the road. “At least ten suicide bombings have taken place here.”

The 25-year-old Helal owns a convenience store -- the shop is well-stocked but Helal is alone in his shop and the business does not seem to be flourishing.

“The suicide bombings have had a devastating impact," explained Helal. "If I came across one of the attackers I would let him have it, or I would hand him over to the authorities. These attacks are having a negative impact on the whole country. The economy cannot start developing. And that is harmful to everyone.”

"Conveniently" situated

But why do so many people blow themselves up precisely here? The Jalalabad Road is an arterial road to Pakistan. Many suicide bombers have come from there by crossing the border, which is not easily controlable. The Afghan authorities say that for the suicide bombers, it is easier to carry out attacks on the outskirts of Kabul, as opposed to in the city centre. In the city centre, there are more checkpoints and more security controls.

Last but not least, Camp Warehouse, the operations centre for the multinational International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is located here, as well as the warehouse of the German army, Camp Phoenix where the Afghan army is trained by the US army, and some of ISAF's bases too.

Threat to everyone

A construction worker, Mohammad Amman, digging a ditch on the edge of the dangerous carriageway said that he was "afraid of car bombs." However, he said he couldn't do anything else because he needed to "feed his children" somehow.

Before the reconstruction, the Jalalabad Road was in a terrible condition, but business was better at that time, said Shoma Hammad, a 41-year-old hardware store owner. He complained that the suicide bombers had given the street a bad reputation and put people in danger. He thought that what was happening there would affect the whole country.

“When Hamid Karsai became president, business was thriving. But now, due to the security situation, people don’t want to spend money on housing material. That's why my business has not been doing that well. No one in Afghanistan wants to invest now. There is no hope and, therefore, there are no customers.”

Fear prevails on the Jalalabad Road. Pedestrians are rare, even on normal working days. But there is always a lot of traffic -- cars, buses, lorries, and military convoys. The suicide bombers are actually more dangerous to the civilians than the soldiers driving the convoys, who are their primary targets. This year, there have been more victims among civilians than among soldiers. No one on the Jalalabad Road sympathises with the attackers.

“They are just idiots,” said Mohammad Amman. “I work here in order to sustain my family – and they? I can’t stand them.”

Additional dangers

Ajmal, who has to drive up and down the Jalalabad Road to get to and from university, is well aware that the suicide bombers are not the only danger: “Don’t ever get too close to the ISAF or the other military convoys," he warned, "because they will shoot you dead without any prior warning.”

The people living, working and travelling on the Jalalabad Road are trying to find their own ways of dealing with life on the highway of death. They don't want to leave because, as the construction worker Shoma Hamad said, everywhere is dangerous in Afghanistan. “I can’t do anything else. My house is here, my family live here – and I have to look after them, " he said, resigned to his fate.