Kabul. A female governor of Afghanistan is raising an army in her area to stop the Taliban. People are buying arms and joining their army by selling their land and cattle. Salima Majri is sitting firmly on the front seat of the pickup. A famous local song is playing on the loudspeaker on the roof of his car as he drives through the countryside of northern Afghanistan. Majri, a female governor of a district in male-dominated Afghanistan, has set out to mobilize an army of men to fight the Taliban. The song is playing on the car, “Mere Watan… I will sacrifice my life on you.” These days Salima is asking the people of her area to do the same. Since the beginning of May, the Taliban have been gathering in rural areas of Afghanistan.
This was the time when US President Joe Biden ordered the end of America’s longest war and the withdrawal of the army. Since then the Taliban have taken control of remote mountain villages and valleys. But not on Charkint. Charkint, who is about an hour away from Mazar-e-Sharif in Balkh province, is wary. Under the Taliban’s rule, the education, writing and jobs of women and girls were banned. Even after the end of the Taliban rule in 2001, the attitude of the people has changed little. Majri says, “The Taliban are exactly the ones who trample on human rights. Socially people do not accept women leaders.” Majri comes from the Hazara community and most of the community is Shia, who does not like the Taliban with Sunni Muslims at all. does it He is regularly targeted by Taliban and Islamic State fighters. In May itself, he attacked a school in the capital and killed 80 girls.
About half of the district ruled by Majri has already been captured by the Taliban. Now she is working continuously to save the remaining part. Hundreds of local people, including farmers, shepherds and laborers have become a part of his mission. Majri says, “Our people did not have guns, but they bought weapons by selling their cows, sheep and even land. They are stationed at the front day and night, while neither they are getting the credit for it, nor are they getting any credit for it. The district chief of the “koi salary” police, Syed Nazir, believes that the Taliban has not been able to capture this district due to the resistance of the local people. “Our achievements are based on people’s cooperation,” he told AFP news agency. Majri has so far recruited 600 men, who are replacing the army and security forces during the fighting. Among them is 53-year-old Syed Munawwar, who took up arms after 20 years of farming.
Munawwar said, “We used to be artisans and laborers until they attacked our village. They attacked the nearby village and raided their carpets and stuff. We were forced to buy arms and ammunition” Faiz Mohammad, 21, is also a volunteer. To fight the Taliban, he has stopped studying political science for the time being. Till three months back he had not even seen any attack but now he has fought three battles in the same day. “The heaviest fighting took place a few nights ago when we retaliated with seven attacks,” says Faiz. The villagers in Charkint are still haunted by bad memories of the Taliban. Governor Majri knows that if he returns, he will never accept a woman’s leadership. “Women’s education opportunities will be curtailed and youths will not get jobs,” she says, sitting with militia commanders in her office to plan the next war.
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