An exhibition of photographs of Afghanistan taken by renowned photojournalist Steve McCurry opens in London next month. Steve McCurry's portrait The Afghan Girl, first published on the cover of National Geographic's June 1985 issue, is one of the most recognisable photos of our time.

Children work in opium field in Badakhshan, 1992
Children work in opium field in Badakhshan, 1992 ©Steve McCurry / Magnum Photos

Afghanistan has been a recurring subject in McCurry's work for over 30 years. He first visited the country in 1978 as a young freelance photojournalist and documented the conflict between US-backed Mujahideen rebels and the Soviet-backed Afghan government; a conflict that was to develop into a bloody nine-year war that would take the lives of over a million Afghans.

The exhibition, consisting of 40 pictures and spanning 30 years, runs from 12 May to 7 June at Beetles+Huxley, Swallow Street, London W1B 4DE.