Exhausted peace marchers reach Kabul
KABUL: Hundreds of Afghan peace marchers arrived exhausted in the capital, Kabul, yesterday after spending Ramadan crossing the sunbaked, wartorn country, much of it under Taliban control.
The marchers, all men, including teachers, students and war victims on crutches and one in a wheelchair, were welcomed along the way by village women carrying the Koran and men singing and dancing or offering bread and yoghurt, some in tears.
‘‘I saw and learnt things that I had never thought of before,’’ said Iqbal Khayber (27), a medical student from Helmand.
‘‘We met people in areas controlled by the Taliban and in areas under government control. Everyone is really tired of war.’’
The march was triggered by a car bomb in Helmand on March 23 that killed 14 people and wounded dozens. No group claimed responsibility.
Khayber said the marchers, varying in number from day to day, would take main roads and sometimes turn into villages, choosing dangerous areas on purpose to try to confront people’s fear.
‘‘We saw people suffering huge pain from the war . . . Honestly, my conscience doesn’t let me calm down. It hurts me and I ask myself: why we did not start working for peace earlier?’’
Before Ramadan, the marchers were walking 30km to 35km a day, but during the fasting month, when they could not take food or water during daylight hours, they slowed to 20km to 25km per day.
In Ghazni province, they were told by the Taliban not to enter an area because it was too dangerous.
‘‘We met Taliban fighters and after an introduction, they told us we shouldn’t have come here because the area is planted with bombs and they had planned an attack.
‘‘After minutes of discussion with them, they seemed tired of it all, and the war. They directed us back to the safest area.’’
In Ghazni on Sunday, the Taliban took six soldiers hostage, the governor’s office said yesterday. The Taliban denied it, saying the six had defected.
Mohammad Yasin Omid (24), a teacher from Zabul province, said he joined the march on its 21st day.
‘‘The group had already walked for 15 days. When I saw their bleeding and blistered feet, I could not control my tears so I decided to join them.’’
The marchers said they would not stop in Kabul.
‘‘We received support from the people in Kabul as we had expected,’’ said Badshah Khan. ‘‘Now we will have sitins in tents and continue walking to other provinces to get more support.’’ — Reuters