August 12, 2006
Afghan pilgirim-3 For years they kill their own brothers- for what?

The war had been going on in Afghanistan for more than 25-years, largely unnoticed by the outside world, until the U.S.-led coalition said it was going to overthrow the Taliban regime and eliminate the al-Qaida leader, Osama ben Laden.
It even would continue unnoticeably if the September 11 tragedy in United States wouldn’t occur which suddenly brought Afghan war into the front-page story throughout the world, probably exceeding in significance the 1979 Soviet invasion to Afghanistan. But it was too late for more then a million Afghan who died or seriously injured in a war as it today described by many Afghan intellectuals ‘the fight of interest between west and east’. I don’t know the exact reason of such an aggression by Soviet Union, as it only has described as ‘extension of international assistance’ by the Moscow, which later not only led the assassination of the current Afghan President Hafizullah Amin but also thousands of Afghans.
When the decision of Afghan invasion has announced by Moscow on December 24, 1979, special forces of Russia was already have seen active in Afghanistan. As some sources say that this was the Alfa group of Russian special forces who killed Amin in December 27, 1979 in Presidential Palace in Kabul, to be able to clear the way to bring communist Afghan leader Babrak Karmal into the power.
In fact Hafizullah had also seized the power in Kabul, just a month ago by killing President Nurmuhammad Taraki, who was also had succeeded to capture Presidential palace by killing another Afghan President. These killings was began after the end of King Zahir Shah who ruled Afghanistan for more than 40 years.
In recent Afghan history, Babrak Karmal was the first President who died his own death. When he replaced in 1986 with Najibullah by the Soviet Union, Karmal left to Moscow, where he died in 1996 with the liver disease, while Najibullah was executed the same year by the Taliban who hanged him from a goalpost in Kabul's main soccer stadium.
While all these fight of power was continue in Kabul, at least 7 formally known Mujaheed groups were busy to counter against central regime in Afghanistan. Soviet Union backed Kabul regime, and Mujahideen was supported by the western powers- directly or indirectly. During this 25-years of war roughly more then 5 million of Afghan citizens had to flee the country and thousands of them have died and millions have got serious injuries. Even today Afghanistan is believed to have ten million pieces of unexploded ammunition, which kills thousands mostly children each year- and it also expected a lot of work for de-mining specialists for many years.
As a journalist specializing on Afghanistan for more than 3 years in the region, I have been in close contact with civilian victims in inside of Afghanistan and as well as those who forced to leave the country to be able to safe their lives.
Khurasan, Sawabi, in North West Frontier Province, and Saranan, Surkhab, and Lorulai refugee camps in Baluchistan province of Pakistan are few among tens of refugee settlements in Pakistan, where at least one of their generation was born and grew-up- in a area without basic facilities. Those who left behind also was not lucky since they had to spend each minute of their life in a shadow of bomb blast, attacks by both side, Central Regime and Mujahideen fighters. As I previously mentioned, this was a fight between brother to brother, uncle to nephew and in some case son was confronting with father. The only difference was each of them was supporter of other group or faction, which itself controlled by some one in out side, I am not sure if these field actors are aware of the real cause and aim of the war which they fighting.
I don’t think if rulers in Kabul supported by Soviet Union or Mujahid fighters backed by west- ever critically questioned the logic of what they are supposing to achieve by fighting against people where in some cases his brother, relatives would be doing the same against him. In practice majority of these field actors’ brains stormed by being given of a mission of Holy war against communist regime and for those [called central regime] this mission was a fight against foreign agents. But at the end neither west nor east, all most all of the victims are Afghans, who were killing each other, distracting their own properties, leading over all situation into anarchy, catastrophe and bloodshed.
All of these opinions were moving front of my eyes like a trailer of movie, while me and other member staff from Turkish TV crew, was on a way to Kabul from Peshawar at the beginning of 2002, when finally I had allowed to travel to Afghanistan, when Taliban regime was almost fallen down in Afghanistan.
Wherever I looked, I could see some thing representing the worst conflict, which just had believed to be passed in Afghanistan: the body of heavy-armed vehicles, tanks or useless heavy guns and as well as people carrying the most famous Russian gift klashikovs. Klashinkov which built in Russia in 1949, believed one of the most bloody weapon in the world which estimatedly killed more then 6 million people so far, and it also considered the main weaponry source for the armed forces of more then 36 countries in the world. However this weapon is again the top ammunition for newly created Afghan national army, while the destructed Soviet tanks and APCs provide top entertainment for small kids who set up their playgrounds near the armored vehicles.
When I was traveling to Afghanistan, unexpectedly roads were calm, and without any major incident we have been able to reach to Kabul in a same day. Inter-Continental Hotel was the only place where foreign travelers intended to stay in first place, but we have seen incredible crowd of people, already waiting to find the room to stay. my team and I was lucky since some of our colleagues already rented extra rooms.
Today after 5 years, since fall of Taliban regime I was again in Kabul, in June 2006, things I have seen improving, traffic of human life is moving some where for good or worst direction. Good mean Afghan Govt. is trying to build it’s own defense meanings like the National Army, some int. organizations have seen busy in reconstruction of this worst war hit country, but still security remains as a major source of concern.
Another source for fear is the increasing anger among the residents of western part of the country, who reportedly have seen little change in their daily life, since fighting, killings, attacks and bomb blasts continue to be the daily problems of those people. Security situation in Kabul as well the Karzai administration seems secure at least until the 23,000 strong-armed soldiers of International assistance force remains in Afghanistan.
I found northern Afghanistan relatively quiet and some construction work also being completed like Kabul-Kunduz high way and as well as Mazar-e-Sherif- Kunduz high way, and also some schools began operating including the school in tarbozguzar village of Afghanistan. This school is very important for me and as well as I faced surprising reality while I visited this one story building in a rural village of some 6 000 population. It was a clear example and as well as a reflection of changing mentality of people living in this part of Afghanistan, who are mostly ethnic Turkmen minorities toward education. In my next part of the diary from Afghanistan I will describe what was surprising here. So keep visiting.