Chug up to alight in the verdant avenues of SzГ©chenyi-hegy, BudaвЂ™s most attractive neighbourhood. One of the most interesting вЂ“ and scenic вЂ“ ways to scale the slopes is in the charming fire-engine red Cogwheel Railway. The low, leafy mountains of the Buda Hills are a favourite local escape from the city. Those lucky enough to catch a concert here are rewarded with a show-stopping glimpse of the churchвЂ™s soaring interiors and the sounds of the spectacular acoustics. All roads gravitate eventually towards the grand sweep of Trinity Square, which is flanked by the towering white spire of Matthias Church. This World Heritage Site invites exploration вЂ“ and getting lost here is all part of the fun. If FishermanвЂ™s Bastion enthrals, Castle Hill will certainly wow with its ancient history, atmospheric cobbled streets, ornate Baroque buildings, and of course, its enchanting castle itself. ItвЂ™s a beautiful medieval terrace that dates back to the Middle Ages, constructed with seven look-out towers to honour the chieftains who settled their tribes in Hungary вЂ“ and those views never fail to impress.

Take in the sunrise over the city from the fairy-tale turrets of FishermanвЂ™s Bastion. With its pretty leafy avenues and spectacular panoramic views, Buda contains the cityвЂ™s most rewarding daytime itineraries. Here, we introduce the cityвЂ™s two faces: Buda and Pest. While BudaвЂ™s Castle District purrs with imperial taste, PestвЂ™s buzzing bar scene is always lively. Where BudaвЂ™s hills offer sweeping panoramas across the city, Pest is entirely flat. Their separation runs deeper than the river though, these two regions have their own distinct personalities. Separated by the Danube River, Buda and Pest form the two halves of HungaryвЂ™s capital, linked by the famous Chain Bridge since 1849.

Their names are being withheld for their protection.With history on the west bank and hedonism on the east, learn more about Budapest's different sides Written by Frud Bezhan in Prague based on reporting by RFE/RLвЂ™s Radio Azadi correspondents in Afghanistan. More than two decades later, it is unclear what the Taliban's new push toward Kabul - and its defense by a second generation of 'lions' like those mobilizing to meet the Taliban threat in Panjshir - means for a population still desperate for an end to the fighting. Rival ethnic militias fought pitched battles for control of Kabul, killing some 100,000 people and leaving the capital in tatters. There are fears that the return of the private militias - many organized along ethnic lines - could further undermine support for the central government and drag Afghanistan back into the chaos of the 1990s.Дuring its brutal civil war from 1992-96, Afghanistan descended into lawlessness as warlords and the Taliban essentially carved up the country into fiefdoms. Their resurgence coincides with waning confidence in the weak Afghan government and beleaguered Afghan security forces ahead of the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan by August 31. Taliban fighters firing mortars in the Panjshir Valley in 1996.ДЄrmed groups loyal to regional and local warlords have rearmed and reappeared in the countryвЂ™s northern, western, and central regions. His fighters have vowed to protect Panjshir and have already been deployed to districts in neighboring provinces to fight alongside government troops. The militia headed by the younger Ahmad Masud, a 32-year-old who received his military education in Britain, numbers several thousand men. The trained fighters are part of the Second Resistance, a civilian militia led by the son of Ahmad Shah Masud, the legendary guerrilla commander who was killed by Al-Qaeda militants posing as journalists just days before the September 11 attacks nearly 10,000 kilometers away in the United States. When their training is completed, the young men will be tasked with defending their villages and districts alongside troops from the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police. They have experience of fighting the Soviets and the Taliban.вЂќ вЂњWe are getting valuable lessons from our instructors.

'We donвЂ™t want to go to war without knowing anything,вЂќ he says. An Afghan boy sits next to poster bearing the image of the late resistance leader Ahmad Shah Masud.ДЄbdul Basit, a 26-year-old, says scores of young men from his home district of Rokha are receiving military training.

Soaring over bastion