New heroes in Afghanistan

An Afghan National Army soldier Esa Khan has been hailed as a hero in Afghanistan for shooting dead six of the seven Taliban suicide bombers who tried to storm the parliament building in Kabul on June 22.
The 22-year old Esa Khan has been profusely praised and showered with gifts by the Afghan government. President Dr Ashraf Ghani gifted him a three-bedroom house and Vice President General Abdul Rasheed Dostum gave him a new vehicle and cash prize.
The members of the Wolesi Jirga (People’s Assembly) were so grateful to Esa Khan for preventing suicide bombers from entering parliament, and thus saving parliamentarians’ lives, that they demanded his promotion in the army. They also decided to collect money for rewarding Esa Khan, who hails from the eastern Laghman province and has now added Laghmani to his name.
Many Afghans now refer to him as Esa Khan Ghazi because they believe he is fighting a real ‘jihad’ and ought to be honoured with the title ‘Ghazi’ for surviving in battle.
Esa Khan’s posters were hurriedly put up in public places in Kabul to celebrate his actions. The media conducted interviews and glorified his deeds. His words describing the Taliban as mercenaries and his use of an Afghan idiom in contempt of the attackers while shooting dead the suicide bombers one by one are now being told and retold by supporters of the Afghan government.
The beleaguered Afghan government needed such a hero in these difficult times when the Taliban are on the offensive after launching their annual spring offensive titled ‘Azm’. Questions were being asked about the capacity of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) to handle the situation now that only around 14,000 Nato forces are left behind in Afghanistan post-2014.
Esa Khan’s bravery is being highlighted to show that the Afghan soldiers are ready to take on the enemy. The failure of the Taliban suicide bombers to cause any real harm during their attack on parliament due to the readiness of the Afghan security forces is being cited as an example that the Afghan government is capable of keeping the rampaging Taliban at bay.
The Taliban, on the other hand, are hailing the seven suicide bombers who managed to dodge the maximum security arrangements in Kabul to reach their target. The fact that they were able to smuggle weapons and explosives undetected to the gates of parliament is being lauded as an example of their courage and ingenuity and the failure of the hundreds of soldiers, cops and intelligence personnel guarding Kabul. Taliban supporters consider the seven men as heroes for voluntarily taking part in the ‘fidayee’ (suicide) mission and offering the supreme sacrifice of life as part of the ‘jihad’ against the pro-west unity government of President Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Dr Abdullah.
In due course of time, the final statements of the Taliban suicide bombers will be released through a video and their sacrifice will be publicised in music-free songs and anthems.
Esa Khan is an ethnic Pakhtun and so were most of the Taliban attackers. They were firmly in rival camps and ready to kill each other. The Taliban are convinced they are waging ‘jihad’ while President Ghani recently declared that the Afghan army is fighting a ‘jihad’ against the enemies of Afghanistan.
The terms ‘jihad’ and ‘mujahideen’ have been frequently used in Afghanistan for the last 37 years to motivate the people to sacrifice their life for the sake of Islam and the homeland. More often than not, these terms have been misused to justify killings.
The recent happenings at the parliament building in Kabul were just one episode of the widening and unending war in Afghanistan. Esa Khan’s bravery could inspire more Afghans, particularly soldiers and cops, to fight harder against the Taliban. And the failure of the attack on parliament, despite the sacrifice of seven Taliban fighters, would motivate rather than demoralise the Taliban to undertake more and better-planned attacks.
The internecine Afghan conflict has become more brutal and bloodier because the element of revenge is now foremost on the minds of the two sides. There is an urgent need to stop this bloodletting because the production of new heroes on either side would serve as a motivating factor to fight on.
The writer is resident editor of The News in Peshawar.
Email: rahimyusufzai@yahoo.com