Ashish Kumar Sen

Armed with chutzpah and the determination to "heal Afghanistan," Masooda Jalal is taking on the might of Afghan warlords in the Oct. 9 presidential elections. "The people of Afghanistan are fed up with constant wars and want a fresh start," the lone female candidate told The Washington Times in a phone interview from her home in Kabul.

WASHINGTON - On a September morning just over three years ago, as hijackers piloted airplanes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania, few would have guessed the catastrophic consequences for Saudi Arabia.