Mick Hartley

From The Big Picture, Afghanistan December 2011:

[Photo: Qais Usyan/AFP/Getty Images]

"Afghan National Army cadet graduates stand in a group during a graduation ceremony on the outskirts of Mazar-i-Sharif on December 18, 2011."

On December 6th a suicide bomber targeted Shiite Muslims celebrating the festival of Ashura in Kabul, killing over 50. A hard-line Sunni group claimed responsibility. From the BBC report:

Amid the chaos straight after the blast, a young girl, dressed in a green shalwar kameez (traditional dress) smeared in blood, stood shrieking, surrounded by the crumpled, piled-up bodies of children, AFP reported.

And here's the photograph. Not particularly graphic, thank goodness, but a picture nevertheless to chill the soul.