From the War in Panjshir to the Abductions of Youth on the Border Between Afghanistan and Iran
This story was written by Rahil (pseudonym), a writer in Afghanistan, in Persian originally. It has been translated by us to English. Find the Farsi version here.
In the game of life, everyone is preoccupied with making life easier for themselves and their families. In Afghanistan, after 20 years, we are unfortunately facing the reemergence of a time when we are led by ignorant terrorists. This has made life bitter for not only the youth, but everyone in the country.
Poverty, joblessness, and lack of hope for a future are painful realities for the educated youth. Girls’ hopes to go to school have been ripped from them. Widows who were previously the sole breadwinners of their household no longer know how to ensure theirs and their family’s survival. The sudden poverty that accompanied the terrorists’ rise to power has made it impossible for some to even find a piece of bread to eat.
All these factors are forcing many to leave their native lands. In many cases, people are even forced to leave Afghanistan entirely, including families displaced to the capital due to fears of war breaking out in their home provinces, who now are afraid that their youth will be abducted by the Taliban. These families are forced to send their youth abroad to neighboring countries.
The question is: is it even possible to flee from the Taliban to neighboring Iran and Pakistan?
Due to the conflict between the Taliban and resistance forces in northern provinces such as Panjshir, Takhar, and Baghlan, life for people originating from these provinces – even those living in Kabul – is increasingly deteriorating. It is a daily occurrence in Kabul that the Islamic Emirate of the Taliban abduct young Panjshiri boys and men, torture them, and transfer them to unknown locations.
Many youths are currently trying to flee Afghanistan, but they are faced with obstacle after obstacle in their way towards refugee and back. Here, I quote the bitter story of a young boy who recently was deported to Afghanistan from Iran.
A 26-year old young man from the province of Kapisa recounted the following to my family:
“When on the bus from Iran to Afghanistan, every passenger was asked which province they are from. As soon as people said they were from Shamali (Panjshir, Parwan, Kapisa, Andarab), they were boarded off the bus and taken forcefully to an unknown location. To save myself from this fate, I said I was from Herat.”
His story is the story of thousands of our youths in Afghanistan.
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