Former Taliban fighters share their stories of why they chose to lay down their weapons
HIGH PEACE COUNCIL OF AFGHANISTAN
Since its establishment, the High Peace Council of Afghanistan has consistently paved the way for restoring peace as Afghans assume full responsibility for the security and development of their country. Part of this effort has been to work through the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program to usher insurgents away from the battlefield so they may renounce violence, pledge support to the Afghan Constitution and rejoin their fellow Afghans with dignity.
Mullah Fazlullah Hanif, a former Taliban member, joined the Afghan government via the peace process. He was born in Rezk village of Shar-e-Bozorg district in Badakhshan province in 1971. After primary school, he joined Dar-ul-Olum, a religious studies school, in Shar-e-Bozorg in 1977, and moved to Pakistan for more religious studies in 1981. He studied in different madrasas in Pakistan and returned to Afghanistan in 1996 after concluding his religious studies. He joined the Taliban the same year and was assigned different tasks. After the collapse of the Taliban, he went to Pakistan, where he was arrested and jailed for two months. In 2003, he returned home and started teaching children. During 2009 and 2011, security deteriorated in the Shar-e-Bozorg district of Badakhshan province, and Hanif resumed his activities with a Taliban cell as commander. Finally, in 2012 he joined the peace process along with 63 of his armed men. This step is good news for the people of Badakhshan, especially the people of Shar-e-Bozorg.
“I was in a bad situation prior to joining the peace process. As result of peace, I and my family have the best life — one we never had before. Almost 80 percent of our demands are fulfilled. I requested the construction of a religious school, and now it is constructed in two stories. It is worth mentioning that men who joined the peace process at the same time as I were also busy on the project of constructing the school as well as securing the road from the Faizabad center to Keshm district. They could take care of their families through the work,” Hanif said.
Jamil-ul-Rahman, one of the religious scholars and tribal elders of the region, spoke about Hanif: “People and residents of Shar-e-Bozorg district are thankful and satisfied with the peace process and its projects. Prior to Mullah Fazlullah Hanif’s joining the peace process, all schools were closed, and there was no security at all. However, all schools and madrasas are open and active at the moment. Work on other projects is also underway and will be completed as soon as possible.”
Sayedulakbar, a former Taliban fighter who joined the peace process in Faryab province, spoke about what made him join the terrorist group and why he later joined the peace process:
“Those years when the security was very good in villages, people were busy with their normal life. But some of the Taliban fighters persuaded people from neighboring villages against the government. I was also fooled and joined their ranks to stand against the government. Also, they made my brother, Sayed Mohammad Amin, the head of a group of seven in Miandara village. The Taliban leadership in the area encouraged us with the destruction and killing of people. When we found out that the orders for killing innocent people and destruction activities were coming from outsiders’ intelligence agencies, this changed our views and we stood against them. At the same time our relatives and neighbors were encouraging us to give up violence and join the government. With the tribal elders’ mediation, we were able to join the peace process.”
Sayedulakbar said life after joining the peace process is better than ever before: “The Faryab local peace committee welcomed us to join the peace process. Besides receiving assistance packages, they offered us vocational training and jobs working on well-drilling projects. From now on, my focus in life is to spend my time raising my children so they become educated.”
He added that the project for drilling six wells in Pashton Dara district of Faryab province started in 2012 and was completed recently. This project not only provided jobs for those who joined the peace process, it also benefited 10,000 people in the surrounding area who were always faced with clean drinking-water shortages. Now that the village is secure, the government has built a health clinic.
“My message to the Taliban is that fighting against our Islamic government is not religiously permissible and also it is not the solution; I would like them to stop killing their brothers, and by killing of Muslims do not ruin your chances. I also ask the government to fight corruption — the main cause of people’s dissatisfaction that makes them join the ranks of the armed opposition — and to create jobs for youths who are living in poverty.”
Hopeful future
Commander Khair Mohammad, a resident of Hazar Mir village of Kunar’s Chapa Dara district, spent almost nine years in mountains and valleys as a Taliban fighter. He faced various difficulties during this period. He told the following story in his own words:
“As I am, all residents of our area are farmers and remain in a poor economic state. The government had no control over the area — religious scholars and tribal elders resolved local disputes in the past. But then the circumstances gradually changed, and the Taliban increased. A lot of arms and weapons were visible everywhere, and the war began. People thoughtlessly killed each other and ill will and enmity was initiated village by village, home by home. More than 400 people were killed in conflicts in the valley during the past 10 years. The whole area changed, and no one could freely walk around the area. All the burdens of daily life were imposed upon women, as men were moved to rifle pits. Hunger and poverty choked the throats of the people, and the economic situation grew worse day by day. Since there was no market in which everything was available, the public relied only on imported flour from Pakistan, and there was possibility of a bigger disaster.
“The previous social structure wasn’t consistent, and everyone was connected to the presence of the Taliban. In the case of a dispute between two people, the Taliban supported its own member. This way, social justice and role of tribal elders in resolving social disputes were gradually wiped out. Only war lords remained.
“There were lots of health problems; physicians, medical staff and medical facilities did not exist. People had to use a single distant clinic in case of any minor health issue. Roads were bad, and there was no transportation to the clinic. Most of the patients died on their way to the clinic.
“In addition to all the above mentioned difficulties, the Taliban was oppressive and the people were forced to do anything the Taliban wanted. We never liked to burn our schools or to destroy our small bridges; however, they emphasized that we commit such activities. One day, they attacked our area after we did not accept their demands. A tough attack began on all four sides, and we strongly resisted. A number of civilians embraced martyrdom, including my uncle who was a brave and pleasant person, and many others were wounded, including women, children and my own aged mother.
“After this battle, opposition and enmity began between the locals and the Taliban. I was faced with problems at every single step, and my imagination of a future full of fear and horror never allowed me to stay calm. I was full of misapprehension and fear, so I decided to change the situation. I was determined to say goodbye to the area, guns and war. I have joined the peace process along with 18 of my friends. I left my home and village and moved to another place with my family, but I am happy living without a Kalashnikov, enmity, and staying in a rifle pit. Now, my children are learning in school, and I succeeded in getting out of the cycle of fear. At the moment, I am full of hope for life and for a better and brighter future for my children.”
New Opportunities
Mullah Ghulam Sakhi and Mohammad Omar are residents of the Gozara district of Herat province. They are former fighters of Commander Samiullah “Mutafaker” and spent one year with the Taliban in mountains and deserts.
Mullah Sakhi, known as “Shaikh,” is 40 years old and from Kabootar Khan village in Gozara. He spent more than a year far from his family and community in the mountains. War and destruction had snatched joy from his life, and he was tired of living in fear. That lasted until his family, especially his mother, encouraged and forced him to leave the war and join the peace process. Sakhi’s mother was awaiting her son’s return with a heart full of pain and eyes full of tears. Finally, love of mother and desire for a calm life persuaded him to return to his family and begin a new life.
Mohammad Omar is 38 years old and a friend of Ghulam Sakhi’s who lived in Neshin village in Gozara. Poverty and economic problems drove him to join the Taliban. War had seriously affected the foundation of his life, so he decided to stop and join the peace process to take part in the reconstruction and development of his country. By adopting peace, both men have found joy, happiness and prosperity. Their mothers and children no longer need to worry about them.
Sakhi has done significant work to attract armed opposition fighters to the peace process. For instance, two Taliban cells — including a group headed by Mullah Gul Aqa Khosh Bashan with 11 members and a second group headed by Wakil Ahmad from Sawa Bridge of Injil district that had eight members — have chosen peace thanks to the efforts and negotiations of Sakhi.
Aside from his work with the peace process, Sakhi sells fruit from a small cabin in the Rangina bridge area of Herat City to take care of his family. He has committed to serve his family and society for the rest of his life.
Mohammad Omar works in a paint store. He feels happy and joyful alongside family and friends. He says that he can travel to all areas in Herat province without feeling fear or horror.
Both Sakhi and Omar decided one day to put their guns down and return to normal lives with their families and children. This good decision directed them home, and now both lead quiet and comfortable lives with their families and communities. They have pledged that the enemies of peace and prosperity will not deceive them again.
Honoring Islam
Mullah Shakar, a former Taliban fighter who joined the peace process, explained: “I have witnessed the opposition’s actions with my own eyes and determined that none of them conform to Islamic teaching.
The adverse conditions of war in all parts of the country left a negative effect. Insecurity and poverty affected the majority of our people, and because of it the Afghan nation is facing many challenges.”
Shakar, son of Mohammad Namaz, lives in the Safcha Shiram village of Sare Pul province in hopes of a better life. On his father’s advice, he attended a religious school. Unfortunately, his father become ill, and Shakar tried to take him to the city for treatment. Bad roads kept him from getting his father to the hospital in time.
After the death of his father, Shakar fell on treacherous times — on the one hand, poverty and unemployment made him depressed; on the other hand, he was corrupted by Taliban propaganda. This abnormal situation finally made him join the enemy. For a while, Shakar fought alongside the Taliban, but because he studied religion and had knowledge of God’s words, their wrongdoings and atrocities bothered him, and he regretted joining them. Their behavior violated Islam. Fortunately, when he found out about a peace program offered by the High Peace Council, he joined the peace process and was able to return home along with a few friends.
Bad roads make the lives of people living in the region very difficult; because of this, some very ill people have lost their lives because they could not reach a hospital in time. Shakar and his friends discussed this problem with villagers. Based on Shakar’s proposal, the village asked Sare Pul province and the High Peace Council to repair their road. With the council’s help, the road was repaired and covered with gravel. This project improved people’s lives and now they can reach the city in less than an hour. Shakar and his friends joined the local police force, and he is now the head of his group.
Another resident of Safcha village, Abdul Wahab, son of Abdullah, was one of the people fighting alongside the Taliban; He tells why he joined the terrorists: “My father was killed during the civil war, and I became the bread winner for my two sisters and brother. Many times I tried to go to Iran for work but was unable to cross the border and couldn’t find any job here either, and I was too much in debt. On the one hand, not having a job, and on the other hand, being too much in debt put me under lots of stress. I was influenced by the Taliban’s propaganda without knowing their intention so I joined them. One day this group tried to execute someone on charges of spying for the government. The mother and sister of the accused came and pleaded that the man not be killed, but unfortunately they tortured and killed him anyway.
“At that moment I remembered my own mother and sisters and repented joining the Taliban. Fortunately, through a friend of mine, Commander Azim, I found out that in Sare Pul province a peace committee had been established. When I heard this good news, I went and joined the peace process. Under the guidance of the High Peace Council, I joined the local police force and have a plan for my sisters who were left behind to send them back to school. I expect the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to bring development projects and vocational courses to our area, so people get professional skills and the unemployment rate decreases.
“Also, I want the Taliban fighters not to be fooled by the enemy of the peace and progress in Afghanistan. They should join the peace process and through work and their honest service earn a decent living and enjoy a peaceful life.”
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