They were promised a better life if they came here.
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Instead, they became weapons in a new war.
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Join us inside Europe’s new crisis.
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PODLASIE, POLAND (Aftenposten): They have have not eaten in several days. The water Abdul Rahman Hameed drinks has a light yellow tinge. There is rain collected from puddles.
The young Iraqi recently celebrated his 25th birthday in the Belarusian capital Minsk. With cake and Jägermeister and birthday song from strangers. When Aftenposten meets him a week later, he is shivering in a forest in Poland.
He is not alone. Hidden between the trees, he clings to ten others. They are from Iraq, Congo, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire.
Despite having vastly different backgrounds, they have one thing in common: They are weapons in a new war that is flaring up in Europe.
The sound of breaking branches suddenly cuts through the air. It’s getting closer. And closer. Someone is coming towards us. As people glimpse between the trees, there is a sharp whisper:
– Police!
Hameed and his comrades grab their bags.
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In three hours, Hameed will actually be smuggled to Germany. Place and time are agreed.
This is the 25-year-old’s last chance. But now he has disappeared in a panic into a strange forest full of enemies.
Will he reach the smuggler in time?
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