Before the bombing of the border areas people made a living from agriculture and herding. Now they have no means of livelihood.
It is time to sow grain but no one dares to cultivate the fields or orchards along the border in Kunar.
It is time to sow grain but no one dares to cultivate the fields or orchards along the border in Kunar. Even the children are not being sent into the forests for firewood and fodder since last year whenNATO helicopters strafed the mountains and killed children and shepherds.
The helpless residents of Kunar say they have given up the use of mountains since the international forces chose the area to set up bases to stop infiltration into Afghanistan.Men, some of them shepherds, and children were killed as they were mistaken to be “armed opponents”. Abdullah is a resident of Manogai district of Kunar. He confirms the fact that ever since the “external” helicopters killed nine children the local people have not gone into the mountains to graze livestock and other work.
He says the children were sent by their mothers to collect firewood from the forests. “The external forces could see these were children but they were martyred.”
The people in Chawkai, Sarkanoo, Ghazi Abad, Narey, Chapa Dara and Marawara districts have been targeted by international troops in the mountains who insist the attacks were only on armed opponents althoughthe dead and injured have all been civilians.
Dangerous for civilians
Rezwanullah from Ghazi Abad district says villagers on the frontier had always lived off the mountains and its forests. When civilians began to be targeted “it was a big problem for people. It became dangerous to go into the forests, many people gave up lifestock farming,” he adds.
Dad Mohammad Khedmatgar is a resident of Dangam district, which has seen the most intense rocket firing from across the border. On May 20, one civilian was killed, and at least 20 terrified families fled the area. The present round of firing has not stopped for more than three months, and the exodus has become a flood. The Hamid Karzai government has not been able to stop Pakistan.
Dad Mohammad expresses the general frustration being felt by people. “We cannot plant anything,” he says. “If someone wants to plant at the bottom of the mountains, the rockets will hit and their hard work will be wasted.” He adds many people have lost livelihoods.”We don’t have any other business but farming and livestock,” he says.
Local authorities admit the local economy has been destroyed by the relentless artillery attacks.
Pawn in a game
Kunar Governor Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi dismisses speculation that Pakistani forces are trying to redraw the border, and take over areas under Afghanistan. Pakistan began shelling the border in 2011. “The Pakistani soldiers cannot make any progress towards Afghanistan. If we see they are annexing territory that is ours we will not wait for orders from anybody. We will take the same action to defend our land,” the governor told Killid.
Hajji Mia Hassan Adel, the head of the Kunar provincial council, accuses the external forces of not defending Afghanistan’s territorial integrity despite a number of agreements. He believes the silence of NATO, particularly the US, is because Pakistan and the US are together in the “game” that is being played with Afghanistan. “The international forces have promised to defend our integrity and protect us against external attacks. But I don’t know when they will stand by their promise.” The provincial council head wonders how the foreign forces, who have spy planes above Afghanistan, are not seeing the barrage of rockets raining down from Pakistan.
