The perfect soldier

If I look back into my ripe years (in my case a bit too ripe, almost spoiled years…), the collapse of Yugoslavia was one of the biggest turning points in my life. Maybe it was then, when all of this was happening, I really didn’t realize how big of a consequence this would leave in me. I was not in the group of neoliberal, office independency followers, who already knew in those times (and also planned!) how that situation would all turn around and end. For them to take our certificates in some kind of legal accordance, to be selling all kinds of successful and unsuccessful companies, and then live off the money in some fancy European capitals in tax havens. But me, I thought about totally different problems in those times. I thought about the fighting menace of the inhabitants of all the old republican lands, about the suffering and misfortune that happened just a few kilometres away, and mostly about how a human being is capable of doing something so horrible to one another. Deep down, I was completely devastated about the countless mine fields, which are still left out there till today in countless fields around the Balkans. So, soon after the war ended, I started to work together with the ITF, a foundation for establishing human safety, which was dealing with gathering resources and leading projects to help dig up the mines and help prevent further mine filed victims. Together, we travelled to quite a big portion of the world, and mostly in the Balkans, but also in Albania, Lebanon, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kong, and many more. From the start of our work together, things were crystal clear. All the photographs, which we needed for our campaign, publications, exhibitions or brochures, were my gift, in short, my work, which I have done for over a decade (and with the utmost pleasure!) was free and without any  financial fees whatsoever. And this time we travelled to Afghanistan, where the ITF-members are present through their projects, for over 4 years and counting.

 

Uničevanje
The disposal of 55 pieces (333 kg) of old ammunition and mines near the village of Awdane (about 25 km north of Kabul) under the guidance of explosives expert Zabto Khan Mayar from the non-governmental organization Halo Trust. Halo Trust first secured a wider explosion zone, then ammunition destruction experts decomposed explosive devices into a prepared pit, placed initial explosive, set up ignition cords and inserted a fuse. The process was completed with a controlled explosion that destroyed old munitions and unexploded ordnance.

 

When I walked 14 years ago through Kabul, there was not a single place that was not accessible or could be looked at from afar, at least. One of the wars just ended and it looked like things would turn out for the better. Not ideal, but still… Well, but they didn't turn out better! Not in the least… Each year that followed the safety precautions in Afghanistan got worse and worse, and the terror worked as the main source for communication. The tribal and religious disputes, bomb attacks, abductions, murders and other criminal acts of the sort, were mixed together with the political interest and wishes for power and greed, money and wealth. The embassies constantly forbid their own people to enter the city and were refused free passage in or out, for instance, employees of the American embassy are not allowed to drive in their cars anymore, but they have to be flown from one part of Kabul to the other via helicopter. By the way, Kabul is one of the cities, which has the biggest number of mine fields from all of the worlds capitals. Some of the Westerners, which stayed here for many reasons, almost never went to walk through the streets. They look out of their thick glass from the windows of their land cruisers, meet in living complexes for foreigners full of fear and neatly get payed their extra fees for their dangerous work. And their work is really dangerous…  Just a few days after I arrived in Afghanistan, they shot a Spanish physiotherapist, Loren Perez, who was working in the Red Cross centre in Mazar-e-Sharif. She was shot by one of her own patients in a wheelchair, who was treated there for over 20 years. Why? Nobody remembers anymore… A few days they bombed and threw grenades down on the Kabul airport, and the government proclaimed a total block for foreigners moving around the city, a so called “white alarm”. Some shooting and explosions later and everything was over, and the city went its ways like it always did, as if nothing happened. And the result? Some shot Taliban and an unknown number of dead and injured Afghanistan civilians, which are not worth anything anyway. Collateral damage, nothing more…  Things like this became boring routine and all the aggressive news is soon forgotten, in a few hours or maybe in a few days max. The journalists don’t think about this situation too much, because they know, something even worse will happen tomorrow, which they can use to fill up some hours of their news broadcasts around the world. And even this almost nobody is watching anymore, because it is happening in lands, which are long forgotten and lost. And life for the Kabul inhabitants goes on, mercilessly, and their city is turning more and more into a fortress each year. Far up in the sky, helium filled balloons are flying through the air, 24 hours a day, equipped with special security cameras which overlook the whole city, the roads in the centre are pressed against concrete walls, covered in 5 or 6 meters high barricades made out of stone and steel and covered with barb wires.

Mohammed Daud
Mohammad Daud (pictured with his family) from the village of Shirin Tagab in the Faryab Province has five sons and two daughters, and has only recently reached the Hamdar Shahrak camp for internally displaced persons in the suburbs of Mazar-e Sharif. Since he has not yet received a tent and blankets as parts of basic UNHCR humanitarian aid, a ten-member family is crammed in a six square meter tent. They fled their home village following a clash between the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Taliban. He lost his leg 18 years ago as a then ANA soldier while at home helping at the family farm during his leave. He stepped on a mine while feeding the livestock. His prosthesis was made at the International Committee of the Red Cross Clinic in Mazar-e Sharif. Until fleeing his home village, he was living off farming.

 

If we think a bit and ask ourselves, how a perfect soldier would be, we would probably come to the same conclusions. First of all, they would have to be reaaaaaly cheap, they should never sleep (or, God forbid!) think or act out of their own will, they should never get older, nor eat or drink, be on guard 24/7, they would have to be merciless to every enemy they meet, no matter their religious views, age or gender. Sound utopic? Well, it’s not! Such perfect soldiers exist for quite some years now and they are called Mines. Actually there is a whole family of them; land mines, antitank mines, anti-armour mines, surprise mines, underwater mines, and many more I could write down. I especially hate land mines, which are well hidden under the surface and can wait for over a decade till they finally show themselves only when somebody steps on them. Sometimes they are forgotten where they are places and who they should even be against, but they still wait in silence, and wait… Many times they wait for a small shepherd to come by with his flock, who cares for his sheep and his little sister, who happily runs beside him.

Zawanwad Mokhtar
Zawanwad Mokhtar from Herat used to work as a chef and occasionally distributed food. In 2015, he and some other children from the village of Arian in the suburbs of Herat were playing football with unexploded ordnance - an artillery projectile. This is when the explosion occurred. In the same year, he received basic assistance from the Afghan Civilian Assistance Program. Two years later, he also got a motorized tricycle as direct economic assistance from the same program. As the eldest son, he supports the whole family (parents and seven siblings) with the help of the tricycle. His mother is also a victim of explosive devices; her leg  was wounded during internal conflicts in Kabul more than 20 years ago.

 

It is evaluated that in Afghanistan, in the last 10 years alone, there have been place over 10 million of mines, and under the earth itself countless of unexploded mines called NUS, which are old relics of fought wars, which are seemingly never-ending. Of course, these numbers are drastically sinking, because of many humanitarian rights groups, which deal with the disposal of such hidden mines and thanks to thousands of determined helpers, their numbers are getting fewer, but still… And so I have made photographs of the de-mining process in Herat, an almost Iran border lying city, in the north province of Mazar-e-Sheriff and around Kabul, where the mines are disposed in the many countless forgotten war fields, which nobody even keeps track of anymore. A lot of mines are still left from the times of the Soviet occupational wars and the fights between the various Mujahedeen groups, which fought to the death so many times, after the Soviets left their lands. For those, who are not so knowledgeable of this history, a quick reminder; the uncourt Soviet war started in 1979 and lasted till the beginning of the 90s. That means almost 40 years of steady and ongoing wars, who are still payed for by countless victims till this day. And the victims of other explosives in Afghanistan are many… An estimated 190 victims a month (!!!), 5% of these being soldiers, and other being civilians. And it is exactly for these civilian victims that we offer so much attention, because boring statistical numbers, although they are so high, don’t and can’t measure an individual’s suffering and pain.

Foto
Khan Mohammad from the village of Dand Ali near Mazar-e Sharif lost his leg at the beginning of 2017, when he triggered a mine while walking up a nearby hill. Through the financial assistance of the Afghan Civilian Assistance Program, the International Committee of the Red Cross Clinic in Mazar-e Sharif made his prosthesis and offered basic rehabilitation.

 

Foto
Mohammad Asef from the village of Pastaqalich not far from Mazar-e Sharif. The accident happened in 2008, when he was grazing livestock near the village in close proximity to the current demining site of the non-governmental organization Halo Trust. The area of the accident is planned for clearance in 2018. His peer, also a shepherd, found a mine and tried to dig it up – it exploded and ripped off both of his hands. The eye injury Mohammad Asef sustained left him permanently blinded.

 

Foto
Noor Mohammad (pictured with his daughter) from the village of Parwaz in Balkh Province near Mazar-e Sharif. He stepped on a mine as a young Mujahideen in 1989 at the end of the Soviet occupation of the area, currently being cleared by the non-governmental organization Halo Trust. First aid was provided by a doctor the Mujahideen had in their ranks. Later, he was treated in Pakistan, where it became clear that the injury was too severe and he would remain blind. He lives a modest life and is a father of six daughters and three sons – the eldest studying at the University of Mazar-e Sharif. The family makes a living out of carpet making and farming. To date, Noor Mohammad received no assistance from the state for his disability.

 

Foto
Awareness raising on the dangers of mines and other unexploded ordnance in Paiz Minarha, a suburb of Herat. Paiz Minarha has been hosting internally displaced persons (IDPs) for many years, and most of the children in training are IDPs' descendants. The training is carried out with the intention that after returning to their place of origin, children will be aware of the dangers posed by mines and other unexploded ordnance. The program is implemented by the non-governmental organization Danish Demining Group with its professionally trained lecturers. In parallel to the training of boys, which took place inside the local mosque, the training of girls was held in the mosque's courtyard. At the training, there were about 40 boys, who showed great interest in the topics related to mines and other unexploded ordnance.

 

 

Foto
The village of Mullah Baba in the Balkh Province (41 kilometers from Mazar-e Sharif). The mines were laid in the mountains in the immediate vicinity of the village during the Soviet occupation. They were also laid by the Mujahideen. To date, 15 accidents involving civilians and 19 involving animals took place. In 2014, the local community requested the clearance of these areas. So far, deminers of the non-governmental organization Halo Trust found and destroyed 263 anti-personnel mines and unexploded ordnance, all in the vicinity of the village.

 

Foto
Demining camp near the village of Mullah Baba in the Balkh Province (41 kilometers from Mazar-e Sharif), where mines were laid by the Mujahideen and the Soviet army during the Soviet occupation. Seven demining teams, each consisting of 27 deminers, live and work here. Together, the camp is temporary home to almost 200 deminers and other personnel.

 

Foto
Deminers of non-governmental organization Halo Trust at work near the village of Mullah Baba in the Balkh Province (41 kilometers from Mazar-e-Sharif), where mines were laid by both the Mujahideen and the Soviet army during the Soviet occupation. Over the past two years and by the end of September 2017, Halo Trust has already cleared 1,033,000 square meters of contaminated land, destroying 263 anti-personnel mines and unexploded ordnance. The project is ongoing.

 

Foto
Deminers of non-governmental organization Halo Trust at work near the village of Mullah Baba in the Balkh Province (41 kilometers from Mazar-e-Sharif), where mines were laid by both the Mujahideen and the Soviet army during the Soviet occupation. In 2017, the project covers 462,000 square meters of contaminated land, out of which 123,000 square meters have been cleared by the end of September. 33 anti-personnel mines and four pieces of unexploded ordnance have been destroyed.

 

Foto
After working in the minefields, the deminers of non-governmental organization Halo Trust are returning for lunch and some rest at the demining camp near the village of Mullah Baba in the Balkh Province (41 kilometers from Mazar-e-Sharif).

 

Foto
The Orthopedic Center of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Kabul is one of the first ICRC projects in Afghanistan and was established in 1988. After almost 30 years of successful operation, small clinics were also opened throughout Afghanistan, specifically in Gulbahar, Herat, Jalalabad, Mazar-e Sharif, Faizabad and Lashkar Gah. Throughout its work, the centers provided help and rehabilitation to around 147,000 patients from all over Afghanistan. Annually, they produce around 19,000 prostheses and other orthopedic aids.
The ICRC realizes that making the appropriate prosthesis along with rehabilitation is only the first step towards social and economic integration of the survivor into everyday life. This is particularly challenging in Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world. The gross domestic product in Afghanistan is around 1,900 US dollars per capita, placing the country as 206th in the world.
Among others, ICRC Orthopedic Centers organize educational workshops and allow their patients to access microcredit loans already during rehabilitation. This enables them to realize business ideas and pave their own way to socioeconomic integration.

 

Foto
Mine Detection Center (MDC) is a non-governmental organization that was established in 1989, together with the training school for mine detection dogs. Today, MDC involves 60 dogs trained for mine detection. Within the school, there are large covered kennels for the accommodation of dogs, special terrains with laid mines for training and other aids necessary for successful training, including a swimming pool for swim training. In the immediate vicinity of the kennels, there is also a veterinary clinic offering professional veterinary care for dogs.

 

Foto
Mine Detection Center (MDC) is a non-governmental organization established in 1989, in conjunction with the MDC Polyclinic. The clinic initially provided basic medical care to the MDC demining teams and their family members, but eventually expanded and now offers free medical services to Kabul residents.
Since 2016, the work of the MDC Polyclinic is supported by the Republic of Slovenia and the United States of America through a joint ITF project. With this support, MDC Polyclinic carries out gynecological and dental services with special emphasis on services for children and women, physiotherapy services for women and men, and psychotherapeutic services. Supplementary healthcare services, such as laboratory, pharmaceutical and X-ray services, are also supported through the project.
In 2016 alone, the MDC Polyclinic carried out more than 16,680 health services and consultations within the ITF project.

 

Foto
Demining in the village of Tangee Sayidan in the Kabul Province. This mountain passage strategically controls the whole of the Kabul basin, and has been one of the most important military objectives in the Kabul region for many years of the Afghan conflicts. The demining site at the village of Tangee Sayidan covered an area of 140,594 square meters, while the works were carried out by five demining teams of the Afghan non-governmental organization OMAR.

 

Foto
Samaruddin from the village of Tunch in the Kishindeh District was injured while collecting firewood. An explosion damaged his fingers, which were amputated at the hospital. According to an expert from the Afghan Directorate for Mine Action Coordination, it was most likely an explosion of a mortar shell fuse. After the accident, he moved to Mazar-e Sharif, married and got a daughter, and he subsists on the collection of old iron. He received a basic aid package consisting of several blankets and food from the Afghan Civilian Assistance Program.

 

P.S. These photographs are going to be used in the project, which is informing the mass public about gathering donor funds and resources, which are almost the only way to de-mine such war-struck lands as it is and for our good deeds to continue on.

Arne Hodalič
Arne Hodalič

Slogan mojega življenja je »You can sleep when you’re dead« in tega se držim vsak dan bolj! S podjetjem Our Space sodelujem že vrsto let in skupaj smo pripravili celo vrsto uspešnih dogodkov, predavanj ter team buildingov. Najlepše pa je takrat, ko me Jure (direktor Our Spacea) z družino obišče na morju in skupaj na žaru obrnemo kakšno ribo. Takrat je življenje še lepše.

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