Amidst the sound of the rock sliding down, I heard a faint voice saying, "God, I'm dead... God, I'm dead."
Author: Taha Panjsheri, a commander of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, especially for "Sangar"
We were informed that the enemy (Taliban) plans to occupy all the peaks of the mountains of Panjsher valley within three days. There were about twenty of us, including the guys - commandos. The day before the enemy attack, we wanted to build a stone kitchen to protect ourselves from the rain. The work of building the kitchen was half finished when the enemy approached us with guerrilla beds and sacks, which were carried on mules and horses. There were dozens of them. I couldn't count them as we needed to hide from them as soon as possible. We outran the enemy and climbed to the top of the mountain and didn't even take one-day food with us. We had nothing to take. Only some of the guys took some talkhan and a bottle of water with them.
Similarly, the first, second, and third nights were spent at the high altitudes of the mountain. We watched the enemy every minute and did not think that he intended to rise to the place where we are. But they were fully prepared to climb the highest point of the mountain. Where we rose in one night, the enemy rose in three days. They stopped where they got tired, rested, and continued to move in our direction.
It must be said that the enemy moved to the heights from several sides. They moved from the mountains of Shaba to the mountains of Haru and from another side through the Andarab pass. We were stuck in the middle, we had no way to go up or down. This situation continued for five nights and five days. We approached the point where the enemy approached us from the Andarab Pass through the Kharza Pass. Every moment the enemy was getting closer.
It was 9 am when the enemy reached Mullo Nav Peak, 100 meters from us. Mullo Nav Peak dominated the point where we were. All of us, wherever we are, turned to stone. We didn't move. The enemy started firing. We thought that the enemy's shots were aimed at our comrades and in every shot we lose one of them. Because we couldn't move and learn about each other. We just sat and listened carefully to hear the voices of the guys who disappeared from our eyes.
In a word, until eight o'clock in the evening, everyone was in their places, dumbfounded. God blinded the enemy and he did not see us. Some of us got stuck on the right side of the hill and some on the left until the darkness of the night came. The five of us, who were on the right side of the hill, took advantage of the darkness of the night, went to the only road that led to the depth of the pool at the bottom of the Bomi Tanav hill, and went down. The path we traveled that dark night was so difficult that it could not be safely traveled in daylight. The difficulty of the descent moments cannot be expressed in words. When we got there, thinking that the problems were over and that we had reached a safe point and a level road, we realized that there was another long and difficult road ahead of us, and, so to speak, this was still the beginning. But we had to go. Up to this point, with the exception of weapons, everything else that we had with us fell as we climbed and descended these sheer cliffs.
We continued on our way again. I went ahead and told the guys to follow me and understand that the enemy is around us, not make any noise, and walk carefully so that the pebbles do not slip under our feet and the enemy learns of our presence. We reached a place where it was very dark. It was so dark that no matter how hard we tried, neither the road nor the abyss could be seen. Suddenly my foot slipped and I could not control myself. I fell and lost consciousness. When I came to my senses, several minutes passed, and I saw that I was alone and there were no guys with me. I remembered that I asked them to wait until I came down, and I tell them to come.
I was about to call the guys when I heard the sound of a moving stone twenty meters away. Amidst the sound of the rock sliding down, I heard a faint voice saying, "God, I'm dead... God, I'm dead." The sound of the stone sliding down stopped, and this faint voice called to me: “Nazir, where are you? Come here, Nazir, come quickly! It was Ghulam Dastagir, deputy commander (now commander) of the Peshghur base. I went to the place of the sound and said, “Don't raise your voice! The enemy will hear!
I approached him and saw that Commander Dastagir was badly wounded. Although I myself felt bad, I helped Commander Dastagir move. I put my shoulder out to him, helped him walk a few steps, and then he was able to get up and walk on his own.
It was 2 am. We again reached the pass. I fell from hunger and thirst and could no longer walk. I told Dastagir and my other companions: “You go, leave me here, if I come, I will come tomorrow evening when it gets dark. Go, God bless you!” No matter how much they insisted, I could not and did not want to go with them. Finally, they left me...
My companions left and I stayed. I stayed until night. Using the darkness, I moved towards Khushkanav. On the way, I was joined by another of our companions named Mulla Wajid, who, like me, had not been able to get out of the area the night before. We descended into the abyss that ends at the top of Manjehdara. That dark night my foot stumbled on a soft bush, I told myself that this bush is “rawash”. After five days of fasting, rawash was tastier than fried chicken for us. We ate and went again.
We were all supposed to join in Kar. On the third night I got there, but there was no one there. Mulla Wajid also went to the house of his relatives. Now I don't know anything about anyone. God grants that all of them are alive and not captured by the enemy. I waited until 12 midnight for our satellites to arrive, but there was no news of them. Finally, I also decided that I needed to get to a place where I could find something to eat.
I'm telling this story so everyone knows: The resistance continues. The Hindu Kush is holding on. I am at war with the most ignorant, merciless, and black force, the enemies of civilization - terrorists. I do not know where to go and where to stop, but I know and believe that I am moving towards a clear goal - the freedom of my Motherland. I endure torment so that my children can live in peace, and most importantly in a free country.
Long live the Resistance!
Hindukush, Peshgur base, September 15, 2022
