Afghanistan's Constant Struggle and Its Survivors

War is in the nature of all living things on this planet. The dandelions that you might see invading a garden are not much different than the armies of the Roman Empire. This is because almost everything on earth has a common goal of gaining and protecting power. The war-ravaged people of Afghanistan under Taliban rule knew this well as they were struggling to hold onto their last ounce of theirs. Kabul Express and This Kite Runner both demonstrate the ferocity of war and its affect on the population. There will always be wars in this dystopic world, as Man will always have a need for more power, and the best we can do is survive them.

Wars are necessities for the balance of the world. In nature when deer become over populated in a forest, predators bring them back down to their normal level. Just like with human wars, this natural selection tends to be very random. Looking back in history, wars have occurred in different places across the world at different times. Europe and the Americas, which are quite stable areas now, have been ravaged by war in the past couple hundred years, and will be in the future. Also the Middle East, which hardly experienced fighting during World War II, is now arguably the most dangerous area on earth.

Amir experiences this randomness of war when he travels back to Kabul in The Kite Runner. Upon his return he states, "Returning to Kabul was like running into an old, forgotten friend, and seeing that life had not been good to him" (Hossieni 246). The destruction to the city renders it so different than what Amir remembers that he was initially certain his driver had taken a wrong turn. When asked where all the trees were, Farid replied that they were cut down because snipers had used to hide in them. Amir's childhood home had become quarters for the Taliban, the very people that had destroyed everything that he once loved (Hosseini 260).

The movie Kabul Express gives a visual account of the war happening in Afghanistan. Before the credits even stop rolling, it is evident that Kabul is not a safe place to live when the boy with one leg is shown on crutches. This would not be an uncommon sight for the Middle East either, as many died or lost limbs from landmine attacks. Throughout the entire movie, it is apparent that the journalists are risking their lives just by being in the country. From Kabul all the way to the Pakistani border there is not one mile of land safe from war (Kabul Express).

When the leader of Afghanistan, Sahir Daoud Khan, was murdered in 1978, Afghanistan was looked upon as weak. Sensing this, the neighboring Soviets invaded and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians, with over 5,000,000 being forced refugee camps in neighboring countries. It was at this time that Amir and Baba left for America, because the country was becoming a dangerous place. "This had to be a dream. Had to be. Tomorrow morning I'd wake up, peek out the window: No grim-faced Russian soldiers patrolling the sidewalk, no tanks rolling up and down the streets of my city" (Hosseini 113). This was the beginning of the widespread violence in Kabul and the rest of the country, fortunately for Amir and Baba, they would be on the other side of the world.

By the late 1980s, the Afghan Army had grown very strong, thanks to aid supplied mainly by the Chinese and Saudis and the Russians were forced to leave. Once gone, Afghanistan was again a free country, and one with a very efficient army. Between this time and 1992, there was a transition period where President Najibullah had Afghanistan in a phase of recovery. However it was at this time that he lost a grip on the government and began to lose ground. Fighting broke out and again Afghanistan was in war, this time between its own people (Kakar).

Word of a group of religious trained bodyguards, called the Taliban, reached word in Afghanistan in 1994. The citizens took a liking to these people and believed that they could be the peacekeepers the country so desperately needed. "The Taleban said their aim was to set up the world's most pure Islamic state, banning frivolities like television, music and cinema" (BBC News). They first issues were cause by the banning of women from schools and work and soon the people became sick of the control they were under. However, at its strongest point, the Taliban had control of about 90 percent of Afghanistan, and the government could do nothing to stop them (BBC News).

The helpful, right-minded Taliban had gained the power that nations surrounding Afghanistan had been craving, and they had no plans of relinquishing it. It was at this point of Taliban rule in Kabul that Amir returned to take Sohrab back to America. The destruction caused by these rulers of the city is massive, and they have lost all regard for the lives of the citizens. They have turned on the very principles that they convinced the people they would solve. American bombing and Afghan troops eventually drove out the majority of the Taliban in 2001.

With war seemingly a continual cycle in Afghanistan, the country has become one large battlezone. Major cities have been reduced to rubble, meaningful landmarks have been desecrated or destroyed, and the law-abiding people have been given no respect whatsoever. Suicide bombings and breakouts of gunfights have become a daily occurrence and education and economy has been put on hold.

Both The Kite Runner and Kabul Express give idea of what it would be like to live in such a place. Although I can not begin to imagine what it would be like to have to put up with Taliban rule, or having to take shelter every day from bombings, I am beginning to understand it. The respect I have for those surviving in countries like Afghanistan is very strong, and hopefully the future will bring better times.

Works Cited

Kakar, M. Hassan. Afghanistan: The Soviet Invasion and the Afghan Response, 1979-1982. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995. http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft7b69p12h/

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 2003.

Analysis: Who are the Taleban?. BBC News. December 20, 2000 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/144382.stm

Khan, Kabir. Kabul Express. Yash Raj Films. 2006