PAKTYA, Afghanistan--One of the often overlooked accomplishments of post-Taliban Afghanistan is the progress made by ethnic minorities.
On the outskirts of the ancient Afghan city of Gardez sits the sprawling Forward Operating Base Thunder. FOB Thunder is home to the Afghan National Army’s 203rd thunder Corps as well as the regional Operational Coordination Center, East.
FOB Thunder is a veritable melting pot of ethnic groups. Pashtouns, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras and members of smaller ethnic groups work together in the heart of a former Taliban stronghold to provide security for the Afghan people.
The 203rd Thunder Corps’ garrison commander, Amr Ali of Baghman province is living testament to the degree to which things have changed in Eastern Afghanistan. Amr Ali is an ethnic Hazara, ironically, he is commanding in an area that as a Hazara, he would have been unable to visit during the Taliban era.
“The opportunities for the Hazara people have improved greatly,” said Amr Ali. “We Hazaras feel good about our government. President Karzai’s 2nd assistant is a Hazara and there are now Hazara ground force commanders throughout the country.”
Ethnic minorities in Afghanistan have not always had it so good.
Afghan Army Sgt. Mir Ahmed serves beneath Amr Ali at the 203rd Corps. He survived the ethnic violence that Taliban extremists led against ethnic minorities throughout Afganistan. He quietly described the violence that his people had to endure.
“The Taliban killed hundreds of us,” said Ahmed. “Some of them were my family members.”
The garrison commander also spoke about orders to kill Hazaras. He recalled one specific order to rid the province of Bamyan of Hazaras.
“During the Taliban regime, it was very bad for us,” said Amr Ali. “The Taliban ordered the killing of thousands of Hazaras.” According to Amr Ali, Northern alliance soldiers had to evacuate ethnic Hazaras from Bamyan to prevent mass killings.
It was not only the Hazara people who were persecuted by the Taliban regime. Afghans of Uzbek and Tajik descent also suffered greatly.
“During the Taliban time, we were limited in where we could work and where we could travel,” said Afghan Army Sgt. Abdul Hakim an Afghan of Tajik descent.
Taliban discrimination against ethnic minorities is often attributed to differences in religion, but Hakim points out that the discrimination was also based on race.
“We Tajiks are Sunnis too,” said Hakim. “The Taliban discriminated against us on the basis of race and language, not our religion.”
Ahmed credits the successful integration of ethnic minorities at the 203rd Corps to the leadership of the core commander, Afghan Army Maj. Gen. Abdul Kahliq.
“(Kahliq) does not discriminate between us,” said Ali. “We are all Afghans.”
Ahmed sees great progress in Afghanistan today.
“Our situation is good now,” said Ahmed. “Nobody can discriminate against us, we are all working as Afghans, and there are good opportunities for everyone.”
Despite the violence of the past, the level of cooperation between ethnic groups within the Afghan military is remarkable.
Amr Ali is quick to point out that the discrimination perpetrated by the Taliban is not representative of the Pashto or any other Afghan people. He credits past discrimination to outside forces seeking to weaken the Afghan people and spoke of good relations between Hazaras and Pashtuns throughout the region and instances of intermarriage between ethnic groups.
Afghan National Army Lt. Col. Muhammad Nabi of Parwan province serves as an intelligence officer at the 203rd Thunder Corps, like Mir Ali and Ahmed, he is of Hazara descent. He speaks with pride about the progress his nation has made.
“Things have improved for our nation under president Karzai’s leadership,” said Nabi. “Nobody discriminates against you these days, you can pray as you choose and follow your culture as you choose.”
Nabi and his family were forced to flee Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban. They lived in Iran for several years until the ousting of the Taliban by U.S. led forces. He believes that by embracing diversity as a single Afghan people, his people will be able to prosper like other nations.
“If we Afghans remain united and resist the temptation to discriminate, we will be successful like the United States,” said Nabi.
The Afghan National Army’s 203rd Thunder Corps does not represent all of Afghanistan, but Soldiers serving at FOB Thunder appear determined to live and serve as Afghans despite their ethnic differences.
| Date Taken: |
05.24.2011 |
| Date Posted: |
05.24.2011 07:56 |
| Story ID: |
70954 |
| Location: |
PAKTYA, AF |
| Web Views: |
298 |
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This work, Afghan Soldiers Overcome Ethnic Differences, by Kenneth Stewart, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
