Ghost of a flea

Malalai Kaker wears a headscarf and a shoulder-holstered pistol. A broad leather belt holds up the trousers of her stock issue blue-grey police uniform – clearly not designed for a female's contours, and most especially not a female who's barely five feet tall.

Shucking off the scarf impatiently, Kaker fires up a cigarette and inhales deeply. It's the first time I've ever seen an Afghan woman smoking. But Kaker is a woman of many firsts.