As reported by the London Evening Standard, (hat tip Religion of Peace) to its own self-described "shock" (despite the commonality of the practice -- i.e., notwithstanding the civil law against child brides, more than half of all Afghan girls are married before they reach age fifteen),  a decade after British troops entered this chronically war-torn Muslim backwater, the publication (emphasis added): ... has uncovered shocking evidence of an eight-year-old girl who was married off to a policeman for cash. She was sold to the officer, in his twenties, in clear breach of laws introduced two years ago to protect women. She was then the subject of a remarkable battle that symbolises the plight of girls in Afghanistan. Her story vividly highlights the failure to bring about social reforms in the stricken nation, despite the long presence of British forces. It is revealed ahead of tomorrow's 10th anniversary of the first air strikes on Afghanistan and is a grim reminder of how...(Read Full Post)