May 12, 2019

The ugly face of violence and the beauty of life

located:	Afghanistan
editor:	Shadi Khan Saif

Defying the seemingly unrelenting war in his conflict-riddled country, a young Afghan war victim’s innocent joy depicted in a viral video showed the world the ugly face of violence as well as the beauty of life.

Millions of people worldwide saw Ahmad Syed Rahman whirl around a hospital ward with joy, wearing a bright innocent smile after receiving an artificial leg from the International Committee of Red Cross. He was over the moon – away for some moments from the shackles of crippling poverty, atrocious insecurity, and his physical disability with one leg.

The thought that tightly gripped me after initial feelings of delight for the young boy was that doesn't this innocent soul, and millions of country mates deserve these simple joys more often?

A generation of Afghans has been born in war times and have so far only seen the brazen war linger on in their beautiful mountainous country. With no evident signs of an end to the bloodbath, many of them are destined to live their entire lives through raging war.

Young Ahmad who is only five-year-old now, was a minor toddler when stray bullets from one of the rather usual armed clashes between the Afghan security forces and the terrorists pierced through his right leg. His mother, Rayesa Rehman, told me she had sent Ahmad with his elder sister to fetch something to eat from their neighbours.

Just imagining this is heartbreaking. But, then the high spirit and love for life displayed by this child keeps hope alive that this war might end one day.

According to the official statistics, close to 5 percent of the Afghan population is disabled. One of the world's most mined countries, Afghanistan is also bearing the brunt of anti-personnel landmines. As many as 750,000 people are threatened by the presence of mines and unexploded remnants of war.

A UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan report says the country saw a total of 1,773 civilian casualties including 582 child casualties in the first three months of this year alone.

The longer the grownups in Afghanistan drag their feet under heavy burdens of ill-perceived prides – pushing them away from making peace – innocent children like Ahmad will continue to lose limbs and lives in this useless war.