A Mother Who Lost Three Sons to the War in Afghanistan

A House Divided Resulted in Unimaginable Heartache

Editor’s Note: The names in this story have been changed for their safety.

An Afghan widow holds on to her daughter. (Commons)

Gulbashra is a single mother living in the remote area of Helmand with 20 orphans. The orphans are from her three sons, who died during the war in Afghanistan. Her eyes have no tears because they’re dried up from excessive crying. She seeks revenge on the people who brought this war upon her and her family in the afterlife.

Three sons, Mohammad Naeem, Khan Mohammad, and Sardar Wali, were at war with each other. The youngest son, Sardar Wali, was serving in the Afghan National Army near the city, while the other two, Mohammad Naeem and Khan Mohammad, were members of the Taliban. Amidst the ongoing conflict, there were frequent and deadly confrontations between them, leading to several deaths and injuries each time. What was once a strong bond between them has now turned into a desire to see each other dead. In the chaotic warfare in Afghanistan, these brothers seem to have forgotten their familial bond.

The Taliban brothers one day decide to set a trap for their ANA brother, Sardar Wali, through their familiar friend, Ahmed. As Sardar Wali approached Ahmed’s house, he suddenly heard loud noises. It was the TALIBAN.

He was warned not to move, or he would be shot, and the voice he heard turned out to be that of his brothers. They yelled, “Sardar wali Mashura kani walam di!” (don’t move, or we will shoot!)

After hearing the voice, he was stunned and froze in place, knowing that his brothers and the Taliban never bluff in such situations. He was left with no choice but to raise his arms and surrender. After he knelt, someone handcuffed and blindfolded him.

A few days later, the body of Sardar Wali was given to his family by his brothers, and the first words the Talib brothers uttered to their mother were “wakhla da khpal murtad zoi,” (Here, take your disbeliever son) and then they left. The body was unidentifiable because there were multiple bruises from torture, and the body had turned blue; the face had been kicked so hard that it looked as if a car had run over him. Everyone could see he was beaten to death. 

It was a judgment day for a family. A mother lost her son, two children lost their father, and a wife lost her husband to a war that had no end.

Months later, the two Taliban brothers also died in a battle somewhere in Helmand.

Years have passed, and Gulbashra has still not recovered from that horrific incident. All three brothers are buried in the same graveyard and beside each other. She visits the graves every day and asks for forgiveness for her sons from Allah, and she sits there for hours, takes a bit of the sand with herself, and goes home.

---

Tasal is an Afghan living in Afghanistan.