The Road from Kandahar to Uruzgan
TARINKOT, AFGHANISTAN: A couple of weeks ago I drove from the city of Kandahar to Tarinkot, the capital of Uruzgan province. I cannot reveal the reasons that led me to embark on this dangerous trip but I will tell you what I saw along the way.
While driving through Shah Wali Kot district, in the northernmost part of Kandahar province, I saw many bomb craters in the road. It was clearly the work of the Taliban. Day by day, their roadside bombs are becoming more frequent and powerful. At one point I drove past the twisted remains of a Canadian armored personnel carrier. I even caught a glimpse of dried blood on the metal chassis.
I was scared. I could not stop thinking: “If the Taliban stop me they are going to arrest me. Or maybe they will kill me.” I tried to drive as fast as I could on the narrow road.
When I arrived in the Chinarto area of Uruzgan province I stopped briefly to pick up a friend who was also going to Tarinkot. We would continue the trip together.
My friend showed me the site where a coalition air strike had hit a wedding ceremony. He said that on this occasion the bombardments had killed more than 250 people, including men, women, and children. There is no way to confirm the accuracy of this figure but I did see a large number of white flags hanging over the graves of the deceased in a nearby cemetery.
After a few kilometers, I saw a downed helicopter, with pieces of metal scattered all around it. My friend told me that the Taliban had shot it down with a rocket-propelled grenade and that all the soldiers on board had died in the crash. I did not say anything but I thought to myself: “What is this place? There is death and destruction everywhere. I have come to hell!”
I looked at the men I saw along the road and they were all dressed just like the Taliban. There was absolutely no way of telling who was a civilian and who was a militant. In these villages, regular people and Taliban guerrillas wear exactly the same clothing and black turbans. I was not surprised. Mullah Omar is from Uruzgan after all. This is Taliban land. But I did feel apprehensive, because the Taliban are very suspicious of outsiders.
Finally, we arrived in Tarinkot, Uruzgan’s provincial capital. As we drove through town I noticed that the policemen were not wearing uniforms. They were all in plain clothes. Some of the policemen were just teenagers with guns. I was appalled. I turned to my friend and asked him: “These are the policemen here?” He nodded without saying a word.
I sighed and braced myself for my stay in Uruzgan province. In the next few days I will update you on my experiences and I will report what people tell me. Wish me good luck.