Rahmat Khan and a man known simply as Hamza both arrived in Afghanistan with the same purpose—to die as Islamic martyrs. But their missions failed. Meet two of the suicide bombers behind the Taliban's new assault.

-By Matt McAllester
-Photographs by Stanley Greene

Suicide bomber Rahmat Khan.

The deep crack of the explosion interrupted the hum of Kabul's morning-rush-hour traffic. Seconds later a black tower of smoke rose into the sky over the center of the Afghan capital. It was 8:30 on July 7. Sirens began to scream toward the Indian embassy, which had been hit by a suicide bomber driving a white Toyota.