[NOTE: This is the fifth in a series of letters from an Afghan friend trapped inside the country since the Taliban takeover. I am withholding his identity.]
________________________________________
Dear David:
To those who have written or read about the endless war of Afghanistan, let me answer by narrating a little bit about the endless horror of being an Afghan citizen.
I was a boy of six or seven years old when the Taliban first assumed control of the country in 1996. My first memories of school were of being checked by our teachers every day to make sure we were wearing a cap and turban. If we didn't, we would be punished. It was far worse if we were caught without the cap and turban by the Taliban, who would flagellate us, sometimes to the death. I know now that our teachers were only trying to protect us.
After this, for some years, the regime lost power and the Taliban were gone. We lived in security, comfortably, until about 10 or 11 years later. The Taliban returned slowly at first. They began by lurking on the highway. There, they would capture people and cut their throats. There was no common target. Sometimes the victims were government employees, other times students and peasants.
Our trips to Kabul and back were like crossing the edge of a razor. To travel we would have to conceal our laptops, mobiles, books, cards – anything that jeopardized us. We heard that someone's head was cut off for having a travel ticket in his pocket. Later we learned that the Taliban had assumed it was a government ID card.
It was a stressful, horrific time, and our fear was pervasive, perpetual.The Taliban advanced, and took over the highways. We stopped traveling, except for the most essential trips. No one knew who would be the next victim. From upper class to common citizens, no one was spared – not even children.
About a month ago, before our government collapsed, I took a trip from Herat to Kabul. I had heard about the checkpoints, where the Taliban would interrogate passengers and check their phones and identity cards. So the night before my departure, I deleted all my videos and photos, memories of many years. When our bus was stopped, and two Talib entered, they went up and down the bus,"Do you have an identity card? Where do you come from? Where are you going? What's your job?”
When my turn came, I answered all of their questions. I was terrified, my heart beating faster and faster, my breath labored. I became like an accused person confessing his guilt.
From Herat to Kabul, there were seven or eight such checkpoints.
I remain haunted by these horrors even still. I delete all my emails, chats, notes, and log out of Facebook and Twitter. All of these things are too dangerous.
Living with such fear, being always in the grips of it, is grievous. This deathly fear gives the feeling that we don't have any place in this world, and are homeless.
Some nights when I'm alone, I play a song by Daoud Sarkhish called "Sarzamin Man," (“I have become homeless”) and tears stream down my face
***
Well, we knew it wouldn't just fade away but Covid is back, now with its mu variant raising alarms. I'm starting to think of this virus as a sneaky guerrilla army that keeps striking, hiding, changing, striking again -- not unlike the Taliban in Afghanistan.
In the case of the Taliban, persistence paid off. What about Covid? Apparently not enough is known about the mu variant to draw any conclusions yet other than it is all over the place all of a sudden -- North America, South America, Asia and Europe.
That in itself is impressive.
***
[NOTE: Thank you to my friend who is editing the English versions of these letter. I am withholding her identity for now.]
THE HEADLINES:
* Taliban, opposition fight for Afghan holdout province of Panjshir (Reuters)
* Exclusive: 'They'll kill us' - Afghan pilots at Uzbek camp fear deadly homecoming (Reuters)
* Inside the Afghan Evacuation: Rogue Flights, Crowded Tents, Hope and Chaos (NYT)
* Corporate boards, consulting, speaking fees: How U.S. generals thrived after Afghanistan (WP)
* Veteran-led rescue groups say the Biden administration's estimate that no more than 200 U.S. citizens were left behind in Afghanistan is too low and also overlooks hundreds of other people they consider to be equally American: permanent legal residents with green cards. (AP)
* Afghans With Ties to U.S. Who Could Not Get Out Now Live in Fear (NYT)
* Biden signs executive order requiring review, release of some classified 9/11 documents (WP)
* Ending secrecy over the Saudis and 9/11? It’s about time. (WP)
* VIDEO: Caldor Fire Threatens Communities Near Lake Tahoe (AP)
* It's Still the Coronavirus Economy (New Yorker)
* The state of Tahoe real estate: As the Caldor Fire spread, homes in its path were still selling (SF Chronicle)
* Climate disasters will strain our mental health system. It’s time to adapt. (WP)
* Here’s what we know about the mu variant -- Cases of the WHO-designated “variant of interest” have been reported in the United States, Colombia, South Korea and parts of Europe. (WP)
* Hiring Slowdown in August Shows Delta Variant’s Impact (NYT)
* Booster shots initially may be limited to Pfizer recipients, U.S. officials warn (WP)
* A 116-year-old woman in Turkey has survived COVID-19, according to her son, making her one of the oldest patients to beat the disease.
* Mexico's Journalists Speak Truth To Power, And Lose Their Lives For It (NPR)
* GOP-controlled states may try to follow Texas with restrictive abortion bans (WP)
* For Navajo, crowded homes have always been a lifeline. The pandemic threatens that. (WP)
* Why America has 8.4 million unemployed when there are 10 million job openings -- The economy is undergoing massive changes. There’s a big mismatch at the moment between the jobs available and what workers want. (WP)
* Family’s Death in Sierra National Forest Is Shrouded in Mystery -- Investigators still don’t know what caused the deaths of Jonathan Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Miju, and their dog. They were found on Aug. 17. (NYT)
* The Heartbreak of Forgetting One’s First Language (New Yorker)
* Baseball's two best teams and greatest rivals, the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers, are locked in an epic pennant race. When they met Friday night they had identical records of 85-49. The Giants won 3-2 in 11 innings. The two teams play again today and Sunday. (YouTube TV)
***
"Sarzamin man"
By Daoud Sarkhish
I have become homeless
I have moved from one home to another
Without you, I have always been with sorrow shoulder to shoulder
My land
So exhausted of persecutes
My land
Without any hymn and song
My land
Impatient without medicine (hope)
My land
My land
Who has sung your sorrow? (No one has sung)
My land
Who have opened your way?2 (No one has solved)
My land
Who has been loyal to you? (No one has been)
My land
My land
You're like someone who is awaiting
My land
You're like a desert full of dust
My land
You're like a grieved heart
My land
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