Dexter Filkins spoke at Davidson Thursday night. (Gordon Clark photo)

Just back from Afghanistan, New York Times correspondent Dexter Filkins, filled the Davidson College student union’s 900 Room Thursday night, recounting his experiences from the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The plain-spoken Mr. Filkins said his focus has always been on portraying the human side of these conflicts and sharing the stories of the people he encounters, from all angles. Much of his talk flowed from some amazing photographs taken during his travels and included sobering pictures of soldiers, whom he’d name and follow with “he was killed about two weeks after this picture was taken.”
Mr. Filkins bounced back and forth throughout the evening from Iraq to Afghanistan, from Afghan warlords to soldiers of the Madi army, charming the audience with both his humor and insight. He told of one meeting with a certain Sheik, who spent 25 minutes talking to Mr. Filkins’ interpreter before he could even start the interview. After the meeting, when he asked his interpreter why he took up so much time talking to the sheik, the interpreter replied that the sheik was going to kidnap him and he was trying to convince him otherwise.

Both during his talk and in his responses to questions from the audience, Mr. Filkins expressed his opinion that U.S. troops will be in Iraq for a long time. The gains made in that country so far are very fragile, he said.

Afterwards, Mr. Filkins signed copies of his book, “The Forever War.”

Filkins illustrated his talk with photographs he has taken in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Gordon Clark photo)