| Translate This News In |
|---|
Former adversaries assist Afghan amputees in their recovery.
They were mortal foes only a few months ago, but now they’re amputees sharing their new infirmities.
Former Afghan government soldiers and Taliban combatants adjust their new prostheses side by side at this Red Cross rehabilitation centre in Kabul.
After taking his first cautious steps between two parallel metal bars, Khair Mohammad, a 32-year-old sergeant in the deposed Syrian army who had both legs amputated in February, relaxes.
“I battled the Taliban when I was healthy,” said the sergeant, who was clad in a Real Madrid T-shirt and sporting a well-kept beard.
Afghan amputees are regaining mobility alongside former adversaries.In a long, narrow room set aside for walk training, he told AFP, “Things have changed.” “Our differences are no longer an issue.” A few metres away sits Mullah Yacoub, a 44-year-old Taliban warrior who lost his left leg before being sent to Guantanamo two decades ago.
He was detained in an Afghan prison for several years after his return.
He’s having a new artificial limb installed right now.
Despite the obstacles he has faced, Yacoub told AFP that since gaining control of Afghanistan on August 15, the Taliban “have no issue with anyone.”
The amputees’ loyalty has never been questioned by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has managed this rehabilitation centre for almost three decades.
In a society with inadequate health resources and where the disabled are often big burdens on their families, being fitted with new limbs and learning to walk again is a luxury.
Mohammad, a former government soldier, remarked, “This is an international clinic open to everyone.” “We get along because we’re all working on the same problem.” Fahd, a 20-year-old former Taliban fighter who did not identify his surname, was injured in an explosion in the eastern province of Paktiya four months ago, losing both of his lower legs.
He’s wearing a traditional embroidered cap and shawl and is accompanied by a friend for encouragement as he tries on his prosthesis for the first time.
“Everyone here is on the same level,” he remarked. “Our country is now at peace.” The Kabul location is one of the organization’s seven.
