October 6, 2008

This Time the Khushal Kalay [Happy Village] Was Hit By a Calamity

It was completely quiet everywhere. There was no agriculture and the trees had almost dried. The sounds of those vehicles that people were riding in here from Lashkargah were replaced by the sounds of tanks and helicopters. Happiness and peace were replaced by sorrow and insecurity. Everyone’s fate was uncertain. It was a situation between escaping and staying.

Rumors had also spread that the Mujahedeen [freedom fighters] had defeated a large Russian force. And that this large force consisting of hundreds of tanks had retreated towards Nad Ali. And that it wants to come to Nad Ali and get reorganized and ready. People were very worried where to take their women and children in this heat or where the Russian force will come from. And the local people were afraid of being caught in the fighting.

On the other hand the various Mujahedeen groups were getting together and they were talking and meeting each other on how to fight the Russians together. In order to be ready in time for the arrival of the Russian force, they were quickly putting their fighting tactics into action.

The District of Nad Ali itself is a four-path district. It has wide roads that are parallel to the streams and drainagecanals located on both sides of the roads. It has big bridges, plain agricultural lands and beautiful scenic views of large trees.

The Russians wanted to enter Nad Ali district through four roads from the North, South and East sides (Groupe Shash, Loy Bagh, Roghon Kalay and Changer) of Nad Ali district. However, they faced fierce resistance and had to change their proposed plans and enter Nad Ali district from the West through Shin Kalay and from there through the Laghari Tamerano-named area of Khushal Kalay, and carry a fierce attack. This time (1360 Solar Year), fifteenth of the month of Ghbargolay [05/06/1981] they succeeded to enter the Laghari Tamerano area of Khushal Kalay road.

As soon as the Russian troops entered a fierce battle took place. The battle started at eight o’clock in the morning and continued until six o’clock in the evening. Both warring sides kept the battlefield busy throughout the whole day.

According to Sediqullah Asakzai, who was an eye-witness of the battle and has no affiliation to any of the warring sides, (500) civilians, including women, children, old and young, were massacred by the Russians during the said battle. Sediqullah Asakzai added that Neek Mohammad, Haji Mohammad Rasool, Kala Khan, Mirza Mohammad, Bahram Khan Shahikhel and others were eye-witnesses of the incident and are still alive. And according to Adam Khan (Sefatullah), an eye-witness of the incident, the Russians committed massacre because of their defeat by the Mujahedeen. And he says, I was a Mujahid and on the day of the incident I was there. The Russians could not achieve victory in their battle with Mujahedeen and their dream of retreat had materialized, so they run over people’s houses in their tanks and destroyed them during their retreat. They started massacring innocent members of the public. And according to Sefatullah, Mujahedeen also lost twenty of their comrades in the fighting.

Thousands of Russian soldiers and hundreds of helicopters were accompanying the tanks.

I asked Mullah Noor Mohammad, an official of the ousted Taliban regime, about the reason behind commemorating the sixth of Marghomay and seventh of Ghbargolay during their government. Mullah Noor Mohammad told me that the revolution has brought so many bloody incidents with it; the incident at Khushal Kalay can be cited as one such example.

I asked an official of the current government, Qari Mukhtar Ahmad, who is director of the Hajj and Endowment Directorate, about his opinion regarding the commemoration of this incident. As a religious scholar, he told me that condemning anyone or any action that takes place in violation of religion, Afghan culture or human rights, whether by willful negligence or ignorance, is something good.

Almost all residents of Nad Ali district agree on the extent of damages. However, there is a difference of opinion regarding the region. Abdul Kareem and Abdul Manan, residents of Cha Mirza Kalay of Nad Ali district, say that in the Khushal Kalay was not the only village affected; the people of Shin Kalay and Cha Mirza Kalay were also killed, injured or experienced hardships.

The people of Helmand and the whole country have always served as a battleground for attacks and war maneuvers of the foreign forces. And these poor people have always been the victims of bombardments, bullets and conflicts. This oppressed nation spends its days and nights under a human tragedy and severe torture throughout its lifetime. The world is watching it or can not show its reaction?