Why the Photo of the Afghan Soldiers Behind the Tree Was in So Many Photo Galleries Tuesday

The reason why the photo of the Afghan soldiers behind the tree was in so many photo galleries Tuesday?

Well sure, it’s a dramatic and totally kinetic shot, but it has a political twist as well. If the guy flinching behind the tree is just reacting to the noise and the middle guy is just in a guarded stance, with the Afghans losing their grip on the Capitol — here attempting to defend the U.S. Embassy, for God’s sake —  it’s the same body language as cowering.

(photo: Ahmad Masood/Reuters. caption: Afghan police officers fired toward buildings that Taliban insurgents took over during an attack on the U.S. Embassy compound in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday. Militants fired grenades and assault rifles at the embassy and other sites in the capital, while suicide bombers struck police buildings.)