Afghanistan

[Exeter]

Take a look at Afghans: Ethnic Pashtuns & Pakhtuns - a photoset on Flickr

I doubt all of them are from Afghanistan.

It's quite shocking if this guy is from Afghanistan:



I'm pretty sure he could pass for a Russian. There are a few more I'm suspicious of too. Tell me what you think.

[Monolith]

This one looks rather unusual too, for an Afghan:

[Cirrus]

"Another typical-style Pashtun"

[Exeter]

He does. Kids are more difficult.

Originally Posted by Monolith

This one looks rather unusual too, for an Afghan:

[Carnyx]

These ones are Pashtuns? If so, they strike me as a very heterogeneous population. If I were to met te last one, I would guess him English.

[Exeter]

I don't think all are Pashtuns.

Other fair ones:

Originally Posted by Carnyx

These ones are Pashtuns? If so, they strike me as a very heterogeneous population. If I were to met te last one, I would guess him English.

[svin]

Well, this may sound like nordic Greeks theory, but I've read about Russian/Soviet soldiers who stayed in Afghanistan after the war. But I don't think their number is significant.

[Exeter]

It kind of makes it more believable as they aren't really Nordid looking. They seem to come from somewhere in Eastern Europe such as Russia (or the Balkans?) and are of types which aren't necessarily Nordid. Then again it depends what one would call Nordid. I understand your point anyway.

None of them have Russian names. One would assume some of them would have Russian surnames. People can of course change their names or be given names which aren't representative of their ethnic background.

Relatively fair Afghans are nothing unusual. The unexpected morphology is surprising. Perhaps I need to learn more or that website is unreliable. Who knows who is behind it and where the photos came from.

Originally Posted by svin

Well, this may sound like nordic Greeks theory, but I've read about Russian/Soviet soldiers who stayed in Afghanistan after the war. But I don't think their number is significant.

[svin]

The first one looks like eastern Ukrainian peasant. He is really eastern euro looking, no doubt.

[Vincent]

In all honesty, I doubt that any of them is a real ethnic Afghan. Like you two pointed out, they look eastern European.

[Gottslav]

No mystery at all. Most of the guys are Russians and Ukrainians, who were taken prisoner during the war and were forced to take Islam and naturally changed their names. Their number was significant, as far as I remember.

[Señor Malo]

Originally Posted by Exeter

It kind of makes it more believable as they aren't really Nordid looking. They seem to come from somewhere in Eastern Europe such as Russia (or the Balkans?) and are of types which aren't necessarily Nordid. Then again it depends what one would call Nordid. I understand your point anyway.

None of them have Russian names. One would assume some of them would have Russian surnames. People can of course change their names or be given names which aren't representative of their ethnic background.

Relatively fair Afghans are nothing unusual. The unexpected morphology is surprising. Perhaps I need to learn more or that website is unreliable. Who knows who is behind it and where the photos came from.

In last instance, must just keep in mind that Indo-Iranian ethnic groups are believed to derivate from the Andronovo culture of today Khazakstan and, if I remember well it was said to have anthopological affinities with the southern Russia/Ukranian Dniepr/Donetz and Srednii Tog cultures...where the predominant element was eastern Cro-Magnid with some East Mediterranid in the minority...Other strains could have been carried later from the "Kurganized" Corded ware complex

[Gottslav]

There's a related article here

NPR : A Former Soviet Soldier Lives Among Afghans

"...Tseuma converted, dyed his hair and beard black, and lived for years in the mountains with the mujahedeen, at times dodging Soviet airstrikes..."