Nick Turse | Existing in the shadows, the US base-building program is staggering in size and scope and also extraordinarily expensive.

In the nineteenth century, it was a fort used by British forces. In the twentieth century, Soviet troops moved into the crumbling facilities. In December 2009, at this site in the Shinwar district of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province, U.S. troops joined members of the Afghan National Army in preparing the way for the next round of foreign occupation. On its grounds, a new military base is expected to rise, one of hundreds of camps and outposts scattered across the country.

Totally Occupied: 700 Military Bases Spread Across Afghanistan | World | AlterNet