5 years on: Omaid’s family yet to cope with his loss

TIRINKOT (Pajhwok): Elder brother of a slain journalist and Pajhwok Afghan News correspondent, Ahmad Omaid Khapalwak, says his brother’s killing took away all happiness from his life.

Khapalwak, who served as Pajhwok Afghan News reporter in central Uruzgan province, was killed five years back in a foreign forces operation on the provincial Radio Television Afghanistan attack.

The slain Khapalwak’s elder brother Javed Khapalwak during an exclusive interview on the 5^th death anniversary of his brother told Pajhwok Afghan News he could not forget the loss of Omaid and their family remembered him every day and talked about his memories.

“He was two years younger than me. We were good friends and advisors to each other until his death,” said Javed. He said by losing Omaid, his family was deprived of a good friend and happiness.

He said when the Taliban attacked the RTA station, Omaid was there because he also worked with them.

“During the attack, I tried to contact my brother, but his phone was off and later I received a text message from Omaid in which he wrote “If I die pray for me”, recalled Javed.

“It was a terrible moment of my life. I searched for help everywhere to rescue my brother, even I contacted foreign forces in the area to save my brother, but they declined to help me.”

When the fighting finished and they entered the RTA facility, he saw his brother laying dead in the bathroom holding his press card in hand.

With tears rolling down his cheeks, Javed said he hugged his brother, but he was dead. Then he himself fell unconscious and did not know what happened next.

He said no group had claimed responsibility for Omaid's killing. Even he took the sample of bullets fired at his brother to different sources to know who used this brand of bullets in order to find a clue to the killers.

Finally the US forces confirmed Omaid was killed by them. Javed said his brother had just got married when he was killed and he has daughter who is now 5-year-old. Javed lamented happiness had lost the way of their home since the killing of his brother.

His mother slipped into a coma four times after the death of his brother because she lost the star of her family, which was unbearable. When asked about his future plans, Javed said wanted to get higher education and live a happy life with his family.

His family has gone through extreme situations multiple times due lawlessness and insecurity and he had been wounded few times, the brother said.

Javed said he was ready for every kind of sacrifice if peace and stability was to prevail in the war-torn country.

nh/ma