Entire Afghan generation knows only conflict as war turns 18 Afghanistan's war cost 13-year-old shoe shiner Hameedullah his education. Poverty forced Sabir, 11, to flee home and sell dried fruits on Kabul's streets. Niyamathullah, 9, hangs out in a park, looking for work. Such is the lot of many a child in Afghanistan, which this week passes another sombre milestone. On October 7, the conflict turns 18, meaning every single Afghan child has known only war. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES