With a splat, paintball fires into Afghanistan

The hidden gunman, dressed in long green coveralls and a SWAT-team-style vest and helmet, looks ominous as he takes aim and fires off a short burst. But this isn't a Taliban attack in the heart of Afghanistan's capital — it's just a friendly game of paintball. The arrival of recreational paintball to Afghanistan may seem peculiar to outsiders, especially in a country that's known decades of war, faces constant bombings and attacks by Taliban insurgents and is preparing its own security forces for the withdrawal of most foreign troops by the end of the year. However, it shows both the rise of a nascent upper and middle class looking for a diversion with the time to spare, as well as the way American culture has seeped into the country since the 2001 US-led invasion to topple the Taliban. ‘These people deserve to have more fun,’ said Abbas Rizaiy, the owner of the ‘Eagle’ paintball club in central Kabul. Rizaiy brought the game to Afghanistan just a few weeks ago. He's a longtime fan of the first-person shooter video game ‘Call of Duty’ and stepped up to the next level by playing paintball in neighboring Iran where he was born, according to AP.