Sediqa Balkhi, a member of the Afghan High Peace Council, speaks during a women’s peace conference at the governor’s palace in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Sept. 22, 2013. The conference brought provincial and regional government officials together, as well as prominent members of the local community, to discuss women’s roles in promoting peace and unity within Afghanistan. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Margaret Taylor, 129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/RELEASED)