If the Taliban really wanted to live in peace, they would not hang people at the entrance of cities – says former NATO ally Saddam Malek, who is the first Afghan soldier to arrive in Latvia, about the possibility of Afghans living with the Taliban regime.
Since 2013, Saddam has worked as an interpreter in cooperation with NATO troops. It came at a price – a regular threat from the Taliban and Daesh terrorists. To protect himself and his family, last year Saddam tried to seize the opportunity to flee through Belarus, the easiest way to obtain a residence permit. However, shortly after his arrival, he was imprisoned. The authorities stated that he would thus be monitored until the authorities decided whether or not to grant him refugee status. He spent six months in prison, where he repeatedly attempted suicide due to brutal circumstances.
Saddam Malek, former NATO ally
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“They took me to the same place where the protesters were held. I was treated like a criminal. There is a small room where you can sleep, eat and settle all your needs and not let you go outside. I was taken to the bath for the first time after 30 days, but I was taken out to breathe fresh air after 140 days in prison. ”
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He was released from prison by acquaintances in the home affairs sector, and immediately afterwards he tried unsuccessfully to obtain a Latvian visa. A second attempt followed in the summer, when Belarus was threatened with deportation to Afghanistan as its visa expired. When communicating with friends in Latvia, permission to enter was obtained, however, this did not mean a peaceful path towards freedom.
Saddam Malek, former NATO ally
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“I bought a bus ticket from Minsk bus station. I had a visa, I had insurance, I had a Covid-19 test both digitally and in print and with that I went on the road and reached the Lithuanian border around three at night. They asked why I was going to Latvia and I replied that I was going to visit a friend. They made me wait on the bus and I felt that something was wrong as all the passengers who were checked in were allowed to go on and on. I knew that if they wouldn’t let me go any further, I’d have to run away, so I started exploring the area – where the video cameras and border guards were. “
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One of the border guards has stated that Saddam must either go back to Belarus or fly to Latvia via Russia. He could not explain what other documents were missing, but the goal was to get Saddam to cross the border illegally. At three in the morning, he called a friend in Latvia, handing over the phone to the border guards.
“They gave me a phone, and a friend told me to say that I would go back to Afghanistan from Latvia. I did it and they let me go, ”he says.
Sadam has positive memories of working with NATO soldiers, and he makes no secret of the fact that everyone was like a family during the war. The US decision to withdraw troops was not a surprise, but he calls it a mistake.
“You have seen the video on social networks – everything is out of control now – murders, hangings, beatings, explosions. “The Afghan government has not been able to survive for even a week without US and NATO forces, because the Taliban are supported by Iran and Pakistan,” he said.
Asked if he agrees with the oft-held view that Afghan soldiers were left with excellent military equipment, they were trained, but they do not seem to have resisted the Taliban at all, Malek replies: “Our task has always been to support NATO. We had to wait for the teams, work on their tactics. In turn, Afghan commanders must call the Ministry of Defense, ask what to do – shoot back or not. While we wait for an agreement, they have already destroyed us, ”he says.
Speaking about the current situation in Afghanistan, Saddam says that civilians are desperate and avoid the need to take to the streets. Their main goal – so out of the country. “You see people trying to get on planes to get out. They are aware that they will fall from the plane and die, but they will still try to do so. Tabili says it doesn’t force anyone to drive away from the country, but you can see dozens of videos of them pulling people out of their homes and shooting them. They hang people at the city’s main gates, saying, “If you don’t accept what we say, it will be a consequence that you will all face,” he says.-
Saddam has also lost part of his family in Afghanistan. The mother died in a bomb blast, the little brother was abducted from school and killed. Father also lost.
“As early as 2015, I realized that I would continue to lose my family if I or they stayed in Afghanistan longer. Many people my age have a grandfather and a grandmother, I don’t even have a mother and father, ”he says.
Asked if he thought there was a way for Afghans and the Taliban to live together, he said no.
“I do not think that is possible because you cannot bring peace by force. If the Taliban really want to live with the Afghans, they must first lay down their arms. There is no need to shoot around for no reason, no need to check people’s personal belongings, check phones, violate privacy, drag people out of their homes and hold them captive or imprison them, ”says the former NATO ally.
Saddam has two more brothers and sisters who are still in Afghanistan but are hoping to get out of there. He would like to connect his future with Latvia.
“I would like to study business and information and technology (IT). I would like to stay in Latvia. I want to get my family back, meet them again so that I can feel at home and just finally feel at peace. May we all be together again and have an opportunity for the future, ”he says.
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