San Francisco Frontiers - Desert dunes beckon for Afghanistan's 4x4 fans

Sometimes they don't make it, and have to carefully roll down backwards as other 4x4s surge past just an arm's length away. Accidents are rare but not unheard of.

It's an anarchic ballet where drivers can stomp on the gas and let loose not far from the historic bastion of the ruling Taliban.

"This desert is half of Kandahar's beauty, its charm lies here in the dunes," said Abdul Qadir, a 23-year-old shopkeeper from Kandahar, the country's second-largest city.

Like scores of other men -- no women are allowed under the Taliban's strict interpretation of Islam -- Qadir was relishing a party that lasts well into the night.

"We came in a small car and are just here to watch and enjoy," he told AFP, as fellow fans drank tea and ate snacks on blankets spread around fire pits.

- No fear -

Mohammad Rahim, a 25-year-old partner at a Kandahar car dealership, has been climbing the sheer sand walls for the past "four or five years".

"We've been driving on these dunes for a long time, so the fear that young drivers usually have is gone. Anyone who comes here and drives no longer feels afraid," he said.

Many of the SUVs look like new, even after hours of roaring up dune crests so steep the trucks look on the verge of tipping over backwards.

Some drivers have customised their vehicles with "snorkel" air intakes that rise over the bonnet to keep sand out, while others add spotlights for when the sun goes down.

The cheapest cars on show cost around $8,000, while pricier models fetch up to 10 times that amount, said Haji Abdul Samih, a 39-year-old customs agency employee who came to watch.

"The poor cannot afford such cars," he acknowledged.

"The good thing is that Kandahar's young men use their own vehicles to bring many underprivileged people here to the dunes and the picnic area, and after the gathering they take them back to their places."

- Fun and fireworks -

The thrill-seekers say no one has ever been hurt or killed during the rallies, in a country where road accidents are a main cause of death, according to UN Habitat Afghanistan.

"Accidents do happen here, but the good thing is that when a collision happens, no one asks for compensation," Samih said.

"No matter how damaged the vehicles get, people don't demand payment from each other."

Like in North America and Europe, the trucks attract fans from all walks of life, offering a bright moment of unity in a country where the UN estimates 45 percent of the population will need humanitarian assistance next year.

And in a country wracked by decades of war, where the Taliban authorities have banned music, films and other entertainment since 2021, the increasingly popular gathering offers a rare chance for loud fun in the sun.

When the bright orange moon rises, fans start shooting fireworks over the drivers as their motors keep revving into the night.

B.Ramirez--SFF