TIRINKOT (Pajhwok): Families of war victims in Dehrawud district of central Uruzgan province say the government should assist them and ask the International Criminal Court to bring the killers of their relatives to justice.
Abdul Bari, a 70-year-old resident of Kakar village, told Pajhwok foreign forces raided his nephew’s house on the night of his wedding about 20 years ago and killed dozens of people, including family members.
As tears rolled down his cheeks, the elderly man recalled his 11-year-old son was among 43 people martyred and 19 others, including his wife and two daughters, were injured in the bombardment.
Clad in gray clothes, Abdul Bari said Pajhwok was the first media outlet visiting his house to ask about his condition.
“It was 11:30pm, the guests were dining. I was with guests outside the house when suddenly a huge explosion took place. I didn’t know what happened, but women and children were screaming in the house.”
He added he wanted to enter the house to know about the condition of his relatives, but bombs continued to be dropped.
Abdul Bari said everyone was trying to get out and seek refuge in a safe place. “It was like doomsday”.
He pointed to the river in front of his house and said: “This river was full of water that night, but everyone jumped into the water to save themselves from death.”
He said the bombardment by American forces continued until morning and they could do nothing except pray to God.
He said when the bombardment stopped, he entered the home and saw women’s and children’s bodies lying everywhere.
With tears in his eyes, Abdul Bari said the whole house was littered with human flesh and he thought it was a scary dream.
Bari said as soon as the sun rose, villagers arrived at his house to pull out the dead and injured from beneath the debris.
He said: “There were 43 martyrs, including 21 women and girls, 7 children and 15 men. Nine of the wounded were women, five children and men.”
He said the groom (his nephew) was injured in the airstrike and the bride’s mother was also martyred.
The villagers also said they remember the incident as the most horrifying and unforgettable.
Saleh Mohammad, a resident of the village, said the bombing of the wedding house was such an injustice that they would never forget. His five-year-old daughter Shahida and his wife were injured in the attack.
Saleh Mohammad said 20 years had passed since the incident, but they still felt like it happened yesterday.
He asked the government to help all victims of the last 20-year war in conveying their voices to the International Criminal Court.
Daud Shah, a tribal elder in Dehrawud district, also asked the government to hold the world accountable for the losses caused to Afghans during the last 20 years of war.
He called on the International Criminal Court to listen to the voices of all the victims of the war in Afghanistan and bring to justice those who invaded the country.
Local officials say they will share the voice of war victims with government leaders.
Uruzgan Governor Maulvi Mohammad Ali Jan Ahmad told Pajhwok: “The occupation forces committed actions unacceptable to any Afghan or Muslim.”
He also said the invaders should be held accountable for their actions and promised to convey the demands of the war victims to the government leaders.
Besides financial losses, tens of thousands of people died or lost relatives in the last 20 years of war in the country.
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