|
Shades of the Afghan War to Come
By Aamir Latif
KANDAHAR, Oct 5 (IslamOnline) - It's called Mud Town, or the Place Where the Poor People Live.
Stand back, squint hard, and this sprawling but sparsely populated village outside Kandahar could be something out of the 15th century, or even the fifth. It's a maze of low-slung, mud-walled hovels, a village of dust and dung and straw, a village of the Afghan damned, a place without water, electricity, but not without hope.
"We are not worried about all these so-called facilities of life,'' said Haji Qadeem Khan, 35, a resident of this rugged village, "and have been fighting for ruling Taliban militia for the last three years against the Northern Alliance, the only hurdle in Taliban's way to capture the whole of Afghanistan."
Now the threat of U.S. strikes on Afghanistan has created mixed feelings of determination and fear.
It has also ignited yet another refugee crisis. International disaster managers - diplomats, U.N. staff and relief workers trying to prepare for these emergencies - expect more than 1.5 million Afghans to flee the country with the start of U.S. strikes.
Some refugees will head north, and others will make for Iran, but most will try to get into Pakistan. They've already started to stack up along the border, which has been closed on both sides, tens of thousands of them crowding at the entrance to the Khyber Pass and across from the Pakistani city of Quetta. More than a million more are said to be on the move inside the country.
However, local Afghans dispelled the estimation, saying that if thousands of people are leaving Afghanistan, thousands of Afghanis living in Pakistan and Iran are coming to defend their country.
"No doubt, hard days are coming - not merely because of a possible U.S. devastating attack, but also due to severely biting winters in Afghanistan, virtually causing the food shortages," Haji Qadeem said.
"But, it does not mean that every Afghan would flee. No, not at all. I and my family will remain here to defend our homeland from any outside aggression."
"We have successfully defended our country from Russian aggression, and by the grace of Allah, we are ready to repeat our tradition," he added with confidence.
"Osama Bin Laden is not the main target. Actually, the Taliban government is the target of America, which wants to erase this Islamic state from the map," he maintained.
"The people of this village vindicate the Taliban's decision not to turn over Osama to USA. We are ready to fight as we know how to protect our guest."
But Zahir Khan, a middle-aged resident of the same village, countered, "Yes, this is true, but we should realize the fact that with the fight and the upcoming winter, we may become the next generation of temporary people.
"We know that Pakistan has a long history of taking in refugees and a remarkable record of hospitality, but that welcome isn't there anymore. The Pakistanis, quite frankly, are freaking out," he added.
In its panic, the government of Pakistan issued open-palm appeals to the United Nations and international aid agencies. Water, tents, food and money - the alms are now being fished out of Western, Middle Eastern and Asian pockets.
"If Osama voluntarily leaves Afghanistan in line with the shura's [consultative assembly] decision, it would not undermine the Afghan tradition and would also save Afghanistan from another war," Zahir Khan said.
But Abdul Majid, a 13-year-old Afghan boy, does not agree with Zahir Khan. He has been witnessing a relentless civil war between the Afghan warlords, but he supports the Taliban and bin Laden.
Asked why, the shy boy - who has never actually seen either Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar or bin Laden - said, "He [bin Laden] is the hero of Islam. He cannot kill the innocent people."
There's no English medium school for him, and even if he wanted to study at night, there are no electric lights in Mud Town. He goes to the only
madrassah (religious school) set up in this village. He can also make a mark for his signature.
"Why should we hand over Osama to America?" asked Muhammad Yar Khan, an aging Afghan, wearing the traditional
pagri (a large length of cloth rolled around the head). "He is our guest. He is not a terrorist. If America has the courage and capability, it can come here and take him," he said in a choked voice.
"We condemn the terrorist attacks in America. But, it does not mean that it [the U.S.] should attack on Afghanistan. Americans should be sensible and look into this heinous incident. I am sure, it would find something startling if it does not rule out the role of Jews in this connection," he added.
Abdul Nasim, 30, a former refugee in Pakistan, said he had come back to his hometown to fight against U.S. forces if they attacked.
"If the United States attacks, I will take my rifle and go to fight the Americans," he said. "If they attack us, they will finish my country. My poor Afghanistan. I pray to Allah there's no fighting.
"When I went Pakistan, I was finished with fighting. But if America attacks, we will all fight. All Afghan men are soldiers. We all know how to shoot Kalashnikovs. Young boys know, too. Twenty-five years of fighting - that's how we know."
Nasim said he and his friends admire the Taliban "in our hearts".
He was asked about the government's ban on films, TV and music, and about the restrictions on women appearing in public without the all-covering burqa.
"The Taliban are good," he said in Urdu. "They make all these good decisions according to Islamic law. The women like it."
If the feelings among some Afghans run strong for the Taliban in this village, they also run strong against Americans.
"I like America? No!'' Jalil Khan, a former soldier of Gulbadin Hikmatyar's Hizb-e-Islami said, in fractured English, arguing that the United States has failed to link bin Laden to the attacks. "No proving my country. No proving Osama.''
But he still offered condolences. "Sorry for big horrible, too trouble, very crash, loss, sorry, too many people dying, hurt, very much terrible."
|
