Traditional wrestling continues as a Friday fixture in Kabul

By ELENA BECATOROS
Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Through clouds of billowing dust, two men circle each other warily before one plunges forward, grabbing his rival’s clothing. After a brief struggle, he deftly tackles his opponent to the ground. The scene is one played out each week after Friday prayers in the sprawling Chaman-e-Huzori park in downtown Kabul, where men — mainly from Afghanistan’s northern provinces — gather to watch and to compete in pahlawani, a traditional form of wrestling. Although the Taliban, who took over Afghanistan in mid-August, had previously banned sports when they ruled the country in the 1990s, pahlawani had been exempt even then.