Eye witness accounts of the US strikes on Kabul
RAWA report, Oct.21, 2001
A letter sent by Fariba from Kabul
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Right now, the city of Kabul is confronting even more tragic situation than before. American bombing over the city makes an unbearable atmosphere, as a huge black cloud spreading all over Kabul. Explosions are heard all around. It's a city of mourning, for several days, where you can find more and more wandering beggars. All foreign and local businesses are closed, and even very low wages paid before to employees, have been suspended.
Recently, Chief of Taliban, Mullah Omar, decided to cut down alimentary coupon from 40,000 Afghanis to 20,000 Afghanis, due to Taliban government troubles. For example, an employee earning 12 Laks Afghanis before, only gets 6 today, not to mention that the last 4 months of wages haven't been paid yet. Right now, the only remaining business is the food business.
The migratory moving of population have considerably increased compared with the recent past, and people wander from place to place. There is no more electricity in town. However, food price has dropped, but in fact people don't have any purchasing power.
The only Talibans, Pakistanis, Arabs, and Chechenies you can see in town are displaying pale and frightened faces.
Explosions have been heard from place to place now from many days. Some houses have been hit by missiles.
Thus, on October 14, in "Qala-e-Vakil" or forecast building area, the house of the Dadkhuda who has immigrated to Kabul from Shamaly Valley has been damaged by a missile. His daughter, 18, died; his wife and two sons have been severely injured and transferred to "Vazir Akbar Khan" hospital, which actually don't have any more operational equipment. Close to this area, 6 more houses have been completely destroyed and about 15 other damaged.
On October 14, Kabul airport has been targeted several times, as well as the television tower; a second successful American shot on this tower would have destroyed all the telecommunication system held by Taliban.
On October 15, during the night, the airport has been once more the target of missiles. On the same day the barrack of the Arabs (formerly called "Gholâm Batcheh" house) was hit which is located in "Katra-e-Parwan" area.
Taliban soldiers and Arabs left promptly this area, leaving their houses, after hiding the dead bodies of their fellows.
The place called "Ghargheh" , few kilometres from Kabul, were is located the most important Taliban's barrack, was attacked a number of times; as well "barrack 315" was burning down during hours, till full destruction.
These days also the "Ghand 55" barrack, called "Babidjan", located on the top of "Kheir Khaneh", was targeted by missiles, which damaged lines and electric poles of the town, and electricity network was put out of order.
A new attack over the airport, on October 16, hit heavily the Red Cross building, which stays few kilometres from there; the flames could be seen from remote parts of the city. Taliban firemen, exhausted, didn't succeed to handle the situation.
Not far from here, about 50 meters away, houses belonging to people from north and Bamyan areas, have been caught by another missile. A 40 years old woman was killed, and two other persons were injured. It seems that, at this time, the woman body was not found. Her belongings have been destroyed and buried under the ruins. It happened probably around 2 pm.
On October 17, the first explosion happened on the heights of "Nader Khan", and the entire area was covered with wide smoke. The artilleries placed by the Taliban over there have been the targets of the attacks. The barrack 55 (called "Ghund-e-Babajan") was the biggest goal of the last American fire, spreading out all over the city a smothering atmosphere. The fire, which started at 10am, ended only in the middle of the night.
The heights of "Deh kapik" and "Bâdam Bâgh" hill are among the most severely damaged places of the day, and airport suffered from several more attacks. Because of these explosions, scared inhabitants were forced to quit the city with anguish and terror.
On Oct.18 at 3:55am a military base called "Loa-e-Babajan" was targeted by two bombs as a result of it an ammunitions depot was burnt. The smokes and flames were shouting out from it till 7 hours.
On Oct.18 at 12:00 of night in the south of Kabul barrack 315 was targeted. At 11:00am the same day a bomb was dropped in Shahr-e-Now, though the bomb did not explode but 3 houses were destroyed due to which a woman was seriously injured. Also at 11:00am another bomb was dropped at block 33 of Old Makroryan where a 14-year old girl was killed and 4 other children were injured. Another bomb hit a house in Qala-e-Zaman-Khan which killed 5 members of a family (4 women and a child). In another explosion at block 13 of Old Makroryan a young girl was killed on spot.
On Oct. 21 at 7:58am a big bomb explosion in New Project area near Masjed-e-Itefaq 8 people from a family were killed and 3 houses were completely destroyed. The casualties include 4 women and 4 men and 8 other were wounded in the same explosion. The whose members were killed came to Kabul from Qara-Bagh. Reuters reporters was also present in the area.
Today every body is scared, but a majority of the population entertain fears regarding the future take over of the city by the Northern Alliance troops, after the Taliban fall, reminding former events they suffered from in 1992.
web site of Professor Marc W. Herold