“That’s why they failed — they didn’t understand it”. An Afghan ally on Islamist extremism, Afghanistan, and the failure of the West

 

I am talking with Lt. Col. Daoud (not his real name) of Afganistan Air Force, a lawyer and an international relations expert.

The other day, Nilofar Ayoubi¹ published a post on X. She wrote: “It's fascinating how nobody seems to be talking about this! The massacres and war crimes committed in my country by Western forces seem to be perceived as normal by the West. Yet, when one of their own trained ‘monsters’ strikes back, yet again we have to bear the blame and face the consequences collectively. If you delve a bit deeper, you'll discover which cities and districts were affected and which community was primarily targeted. Perhaps that's why it doesn’t receive much attention or cause enough uproar!”

https://x.com/NilofarAyoubi/status/1995588091768439099?s=20

 Daoud: Her point seems to be that Western forces bombed Pashtun-majority cities, districts, and villages — and that she is likely referring to civilian casualties.

This particular piece of news that she is referring to pertains to the British special forces deliberately killing fighting-aged Afghans.

https://news.sky.com/story/uk-special-forces-unit-had-deliberate-policy-to-kill-fighting-aged-males-in-afghanistan-inquiry-told-13477589

Daoud: Exactly, many such incidents have happened. Generally, the war took place in Pashtun-inhabited areas, and whatever happened unfolded there. That’s why it hasn’t generated much noise. For example, in one incident involving civilian casualties from American airstrikes in the district where I was born, 130 innocent women and children were killed — and no one was ever held accountable. I personally knew most of the people who were killed, because I grew up there. That’s why, when I later served on the targeting board, I did everything in my power to ensure that nothing like that would ever happen again.

Why didn't that phenomenon of unlawful killings generate much noise? Was it because Pashtuns are the majority, so no one thinks it necessary to come to their defence? I don't understand the mechanism.

Daoud: Pashtuns generally have little interest in media, Twitter, hashtags, or civil protests. Their culture in this regard is quite weak, and only the educated and enlightened Pashtuns make some use of these tools.

Well, there have been lots of hashtags recently regarding the Washington D.C. shooting attack. The ‘monster that strikes back’ is an Afghan national.

Daoud: Investigations now show that the suspect had adopted extremist views after arriving to the US. That was exactly my assessment as well. A few days ago, I wrote on Twitter that Islamist networks in the West are far more structured and sophisticated in spreading extremist ideology than they are in Afghanistan. A clear example is how they mobilized both Muslim and non-Muslim Americans to rally in support of Hamas.

I read reports of the murderer having some grave psychological problems, and the reports did not mention any contacts with extremist networks.

Daoud: Well, there is a blind spot here. People who face severe stress, depression, and other serious psychological issues often turn to religion as a last resort. Religion offers them the promise of paradise and diminishes the value of this world in their eyes. I believe he chose a path that led to the killing of innocent people in an attempt to seek forgiveness from God for his past sins. Here, clerics claim that if one kills a non-Muslim, they go straight to heaven. This person targeted American soldiers, not civilians, because he believed this would guarantee his passage to paradise.

I am describing these issues from his perspective, not my own, because I am familiar with the different mindsets present in Islamic societies. Islam uses highly sophisticated techniques to stir emotions. If you listen to a cleric for just two hours, with all the stories he tells about heaven, hell, this life, and the next, you practically detach from this world, and the value of the present reality fades in your mind and heart. But the emotions that clerics generate in a person are not permanent; they must be constantly reinforced. Terrorist groups exploit the moment when someone reaches the peak of these emotions and push them toward committing inhumane acts, such as killing other people.

All it takes is a few months of not listening to a cleric or religious propaganda for those feelings to fade.

 

What then can be done to make those clerics stop their inciting?

Daoud: Secular governments in Islamic societies can silence them.

 

What about Western democracies?

Daoud: Islamic cultural centers promote this propaganda. Last year, Germany shut down several of these centers.

 

Should all such centers be banned? Are all of them radical or getting radicalized after a while?

Daoud: You can’t find a non-radical cleric. Those who appear non-radical are only pretending. The nature of a cleric is radical. In the United Arab Emirates, clerics are not allowed to give speeches, preach, or talk about religion in mosques, especially when it comes to discussing political, economic, or cultural matters with the public. Their only duty is to lead prayers. As a result, extremist ideas have not taken root in that society.

 

I wonder about this characteristic of Islamic clerics. In Christianity, the clergy is very diverse, even in one and the same church, depending on individual priest or pastor. And I would say they are usually too lukewarm than too radical.

Daoud: In Afghanistan, when clerics step onto the pulpit, the first thing they say is ‘May God destroy America, may God destroy Europe.’ They claim that no Christian or Jew can ever be a true friend to a Muslim, and that their death at the hands of Muslims is permissible. Then they say that if you are killed by a Christian or a Jew, you go to heaven — and if you kill them, you also go to heaven. In paradise, they promise you seventy-two of the most beautiful wives, seventy thousand servants dedicated solely to you, and magnificent palaces. They insist this world is merely a test, a toy with no real value, and that an entire lifetime here equals no more than one hour in the grave or the afterlife.

What clerics promote often diverges sharply from the Qur’an itself. Many of them justify violence against all Jews and Christians — combatants and civilians alike — while the Qur’an explicitly differentiates between those who fight and those who do not.

A person who feels defeated in this world — unable to build a family, unable to find a job, and so on — hears this propaganda and starts calculating: if a lifetime in this world is worth only one hour in the next, then maybe it’s worth sacrificing this world to secure the next. Then he asks himself, ‘What should I do to make my afterlife better?’ And sometimes those questions lead to dangerous answers.

 

And what is the answer in the case of the Washington D.C. suspect?

Daoud: Have you ever wondered why that Afghan citizen chose to target the National Guard with gunfire? Why didn’t he shoot at civilians? That way he could have killed more people. Try to think like a prosecutor, constantly interrogating each angle and questioning yourself until you reach a more accurate analysis.

 

Could it be a jihadi crime? An attack on a state that is not Islamic?

Daoud: This shooting was a disturbing mix of religious motivation and psychological disturbance. As I explained, the person sought both to reach paradise and to escape the torment of the reality he was experiencing. Muslims carry a very negative view of suicide, because in Islam it is considered a grave and sinful act. Anyone who takes their own life is believed to burn in hell forever. So what is the solution for a Muslim who wants to escape their current life, yet also wants to avoid hell?

 

So he wanted to get killed?

Daoud: That’s precisely my understanding. I’m not claiming that everything I say is absolutely correct, but at least this is how I see it.

 

But targeting civilian kafirs could have gotten him in paradise, too, couldn't it.

Daoud: No — Islam strictly forbids this.

You say Islam forbids killing civilians. So why do all the jihadi terrorists kill mostly civilians?

Daoud: Well, many so‑called Muslim terrorists and clerics commit actions that Islam explicitly forbids. They stone women for alleged adultery, even though the Qur’an clearly prescribes only one hundred lashes. But the clerics ignore this explicit ruling and instead rely on a fabricated hadith about stoning, using it as the basis for executing both women and men accused of adultery.

 

Why do they do it? How do they justify it?

Daoud: I don’t know how they justify it, but in reality we’ve seen that groups like the Taliban and ISIS have even killed Muslims during prayer inside mosques. Maybe they aim to create fear and terror in societies by killing civilians.

In the Qur’an, jihad is framed as a defensive military strategy — you are permitted to fight only in response to aggression, and only to protect yourself. But many Muslims and clerics promote jihad even in the absence of any attack. Similarly, the Qur’an states that people may be invited to Islam solely through persuasion, not force. Yet in practice, Muslim rulers throughout history spread Islam across regions such as Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Central Asia, Egypt, and others by the sword and through bloodshed — a clear contradiction of the Qur’anic mandate.

Where in the Qur’an or in Islam is it stated that you may force women to follow a specific dress code? The Qur’an only recommends modesty, and its guidance on hijab refers simply to covering the hair and the chest. Yet in practice, many Muslims impose extreme measures — black gloves, dark glasses so the eyes cannot be seen, and full-face veils — as if this were a religious requirement. In short, the Islam presented in the Qur’an is fundamentally different from the version these groups enforce.

 

It would be impossible to ban clerics' preaching in Western democracy. Free speech, civil liberties and so on. But perhaps each of them could be monitored and banned from preaching once he gets radical? Or what other solution could there be?

Daoud: Another solution is for qualified experts — not clerics — to interpret the Qur’an. The Qur’an can be interpreted in many different ways, and clerics exploit this flexibility to their advantage, extracting the most extreme and frightening rulings from it.

 

So all the Afghans go to their mosque each Friday and that’s what they hear every week?

Daoud: Exactly. Afghans go to the mosque five times a day, and on Fridays they listen to the clerics’ hateful speeches.

 

Five times a day to the mosque? Is it typical for Muslims in general or just for Afghanistan?

Daoud: Praying five times a day in the mosque is a religious obligation and exists in all Islamic societies.

 

I know about praying five times a day, I just thought one could do it any place, including his own home.

Daoud: In a village with a population of around one thousand, there are several mosques. The number of mosques is so high that anyone only needs to walk two to five minutes to reach one. Only in cases where there is a valid reason preventing you from going to the mosque can you pray at home.

 

That’s a new one on me. I have always thought it's like in Christianity: one church for lots of people and in a larger area. And people going there once a week, only those exceptionally pious go every day.

Daoud: Even Western governments that were present in Afghanistan for twenty years had limited and partial information about this society. That’s why they failed — they didn’t understand it.

You can never effectively govern a society you fail to understand. The Western powers lacked knowledge of this society, still do, and yet they continue to craft and enforce policies based on flawed assumptions.

 

What else do the Western powers overlook?

Daoud: Jamaat-ud-Da’wa (Tablighi Jamaat), a transnational organization in which people actively participate, traveling from village to village while preaching about religion. Even if you sent the devil with them, by the time he returns from the journey, he would speak of God and Islam, because their techniques for indoctrinating Muslims are so advanced.

The issue doesn’t end here. In Afghanistan, there are tens of thousands of religious schools where millions of students are indoctrinated around the clock, instilling hatred toward non-Muslims deep in their minds and hearts. People who spend years in these schools learning to spread hatred — are they expected to build bridges and roads, or to heal and help the people?

 

So what should the West have done in Afghanistan? Prohibit the teachings of the clerics? Close the schools? As a result, we would have a national revolt.

Daoud: The West did not truly fight the Taliban and, in some cases, even prevented Afghan forces from confronting them. The West could have introduced modern thinking to Afghanistan’s villages, because that’s where real transformation happens, not in the big cities. In the larger villages, they should have provided electricity, television, roads, schools, and hired teachers to reduce clerics’ influence. Instead, they focused only on illuminating the big cities, promoting stylish clothing, showcasing a few women in ministries and media, and claiming, ‘We’ve done so much.’

Right now, the Taliban are fully focused on the villages and non‑urban areas, because that’s where their enemies can establish strongholds. Big cities can never truly rise up; once the Taliban kill a hundred people, the rest disappear into hiding.

 

Do you believe Afghanistan's transformation can happen independently from any foreign power?

Daoud: I’m not very optimistic. Because its intellectuals and educated professionals are mired in corruption and tribalism. If I were in charge, I would purge this society of extremism — even if it had to be done by force. 😄

 

Like Daoud Khan² 😉

Daoud: Exactly. But I am not the one in power. 😕

 

What makes one gain power?

Daoud: The only way to gain power in Afghanistan for most of the past century has been through foreign support.

 

What makes the change so difficult?

Daoud: I genuinely believe that all of us should stand together to build a better world — one in which every child, every woman, and every man can feel happiness, free from injustice, war, and the suffering caused by human hands. But Afghanistan is a society that has experienced forty years of fighting for survival. And people who spend four decades in a struggle to survive don’t always use honest methods; they rely on deception, lies, and betrayal when it benefits them. Over time, these behaviors have hardened into an ugly habit — even a cultural pattern.

Personally, I’ve become disappointed in Afghans. I have never harmed anyone in my life, and I’ve never wished for an innocent person to suffer in any way. Yet I see many people taking pleasure in the difficulties I’m going through, even though I once stood by them in their suffering.

Here, fourteen-year-old girls are waiting to get married as soon as possible. Do you know why? Because at the time of marriage, the groom’s family might give them a mobile phone and clothes worth around two hundred dollars. Here are women who live day and night in suffering, poverty, and violence. This society needs to change, and those who can bring about this change are the ones who feel the pain of these women and have no desire for personal wealth.

〰〰〰〰〰〰〰〰

¹ Nilofar Ayoubi – an Afghan dissident and refugee, on the Taliban hit list. A journalist and activist, a member of the Leadership Council in the World Liberty Congress. Third in the ranking of 100 Women in Business in Poland, where she found her refuge after the fall of Kabul.

² Mohammad Daoud Khan – long-serving prime minister (1953-1963) and president of Afghanistan (1973-1978), successfully introduced progressive social, economic, and educational reforms.

Left Behind

 

They fought for freedom, both theirs and ours. Now they are counting hours and minutes in fear for their lives

Kabul, August 15, 2021. The scorching sun cannot begin to compete with the feverish tidal wave of panic engulfing the city. NATO troops are leaving in chaotic alarm and many Afghans are desperate to leave together with them.

I vividly remember my own astonishment and anger that day, and how closely I was following the situation on X. I still feel the pulverizing disappointment at the incredible sight of the world’s strongest military power unexpectedly withdrawing and – just like that and on one single day, in an absurd torrent of haste and chaos – creating a phantasmagoria of misery for all those left behind. Until then, hopeful that their homeland was evolving into a country of free people – what must they have felt?

On the day that Kabul fell

‘Yes, it was very disappointing,’ admits Daoud (not his real name), lieutenant colonel in the Afghan Air Force during the period of the American and NATO war with terrorists. ‘It was a chaotic, rushed, and shameful evacuation.’

The situation came as a surprise not only to many observers round the world, but also to the Afghan military who had closely cooperated with Americans and the Western troops.

‘To be honest, I never believed that the US would give up their control over the entire Afghanistan. My personal calculation was that a peace agreement would be implemented,’ Daoud adds.

Daoud is one of many Afghan military officers who worked together with the Western forces in their war against the terrorists, only to subsequently be left behind. Why did he not leave that day, on August 15, now four years ago?

‘Decisions about the evacuation process were in the hands of the Americans and of corrupt Afghans. Many people were taken out of Afghanistan using fake documents. Eighty percent of those evacuated by the US had fraudulent papers, which is why Trump suspended the process,’ Daoud says.

Whilst his wife and eight-year-old son were in a safe place far from Kabul, he was braving the midst of it, helping those desperately attempting to escape the incoming regime.

‘I have always been, and still am, deeply patriotic, and I never even considered becoming a refugee. On the day Kabul fell, I was at the airport, where Afghan pilots were fleeing to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan with their planes, but I refused to leave. I secured the perimeter with another officer, who is now in the US, because the soldiers had fled. I had never considered seeking refuge before 2021 and never wanted to leave my country. But circumstances unfolded differently, and now I have no choice but to leave.’

Watching the tragic events of August 15, 2021 I was painfully aware of the fact that it was the American administration that helped stir up the jihadist movement in Afghanistan in the late 1970s, initially backing the islamist groups in Iran, watching them infiltrating Afghanistan and then using them in their duel with the Soviets¹. The Soviet fiasco in Afghanistan was an important factor in dismantling the Communist imperium, bringing freedom to the numerous nations choking under the Soviet yoke. But it was Afghanistan that paid the price.

 Modernizing Afghanistan

 At the dawn of the 20^th century, the Central Asia nation, made up of over thirty ethnicities², began a process of modernization. Emir Habibullah Khan, ruling from 1901 until 1919, undertook considerable efforts to bring modern medicine and technology to his country, he also initiated some progressive reforms and established both a military academy and the elite Hababiya High School, whose graduates have constituted Afghani ruling elite ever since. But it was his successor, King Amanullah Khan, that stepped up the process of radical reforms.

His modernization followed a Western pattern, encompassing a wide range of spheres: politics, law, education, administration, language, and culture. He established numerous schools all over the country, made primary education obligatory, and paved the way for a comprehensive education for women. He would even send Afghani young people abroad for education, such as a group of girls sent to Iran in order to study medicine. His radical reforms (including changing traditional dress codes and abolishing veils for women) elicited backlash in a traditionally-minded society. Successive rulers abolished many, but not all, of the reforms. In 1931, the University of Kabul was established.

After World War 1, Afghanistan became the subject of the Great Game between Britain and the Soviet Union, the influence of these competing powers fostered further modernization, which stepped up again in the 1950s and 1960s³, and continued to an extent in spite of bitter internal conflicts.

The 1950s. Public Domain

The 1950s. Public Domain

A lecture, Kabul University. A frame from a footage on X 

 

A frame from a footage on YT about modernization of Afganistan

In the early eighties prime minister Babrak Karmal initiated a wave of further democratic reforms, including secular state, free speech and equal rights for women. But as he was supported by the Soviet Union, America decided to back traditionally-minded mujahideens. And even though many of them later fought against the conservative Taliban that captured Kabul in 1996, the reforms were stopped; soon to be revoked.

Then came September 11^th, and later the NATO troops chasing terrorists in their Afghan lairs. The Taliban retreated before another wave of westernizing reforms. A friend of mine, Agnieszka Wójcik (she is now married, changed her name and is far away again), visited Afghanistan at that time as an artist. She organized workshops for Afghan women interested in creative arts, while also learning from them. I remember her stories of their fear of the frequent terrorist attacks and of the return of the Taliban, who were residing in Kandahar in the southern part of the country.

Not so long ago girls and women of Afghanistan were allowed not only to speak freely, but also to sing. Today they are allowed neither to speak in public, nor to go to school. The choir and the orchestra of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul. After the Taliban takeover they evacuated to Portugal.

Failure

Twenty years of the direct Western presence in Afghanistan – and it didn’t work. Why?

‘Throughout our country’s three hundred year history, no substantive change – whether positive or negative – has occurred independently of external influence,’ Daoud remarks. The well-educated, brilliant lieutenant colonel is an exceptionally analytical mind. ‘There exists a prevailing mindset that grants the government the authority to dictate citizens’ lives, extending even to personal matters, such as a spouse’s attire. For a transition toward genuine democracy, the society must first cultivate awareness and critical consciousness. Entrenched religious influence continues to dominate, and until the society liberates itself form this hold, authoritarian regimes will persist in maintaing control.’

Still, twenty years – one generation – seems like time enough to change this mindset, or at least create elites that would continue the process initiated over one hundred years ago.

Daoud has his own theory. Americans betted on the wrong horse, ignoring the sympathies of the Afghans.

‘I firmly believe that the US should have built a stronger governmental system and allowed the Afghan people themselves – those who were raised in that land and had the capacity – to take the lead. Instead, the US consistently empowered corrupt figures, individuals who lacked the trust of the people and had no respect within our society.’

A young man named Hamdullah Mohib may be a case in point. ‘He graduated from a university in the UK, then spent two years as a secretary to a high-ranking official, after which he was appointed ambassador to the US, and later became the National Security Advisor. At this rapid pace, without any real expertise or experience, he intervened in virtually all of the country’s security ministries and nearly dismantled the entire military structure. This is just a small example of the mistakes that had been made,’ Daoud says.

According to the global index of happiness, today's Afghans are the most unhappy people in the world.

The lieutenant colonel attaches importance to honesty and integrity and lives according to these values. ‘During the highly corrupt previous Afghan government I held a senior, highly qualified position and never engaged in corruption, because I valued my humanity over money.’

He has been married for twelve years and has one son. This is unusual in Afghanistan where it is culturally admired and a source of pride to have many children.

‘I believe a generous heart can feel the joy of parenthood through any child in the world, and that instead of having multiple children, we can help orphaned and vulnerable children.’

Throughout his military service, Daoud regularly gave part of his salary to support working children and he says it gave him deep personal satisfaction.

The working children of Afghanistan

 Working children?

‘Yes, child labor in Afghanistan is unfortunately common and this has always strongly affected me,’ says Daoud. ‘Children work in construction, in brick kilns, carrying loads with handcarts, and they even work in mines. Over the years, several reports have been published documenting sexual abuse of children while they are working.’

Child work is also Daoud’s personal experience, during the first Taliban period when he was still a child, he had to work. ‘My father was pursued by them – his story is now repeating itself for me. So at that time, I was also working. For this reason, I have always empathized deeply with working children.’

The necessity of working to provide for their families is not the only burden that the Afghan children bear. As many as 3.2 million of them face severe malnutrition; too many are dying of hunger. The spectre of hunger is brooding over Afghanistan. Afghani women beg on the streets, to save their children from death from starvation⁴.

‘They are left to beg for food – while no aid is dropped from the skies by China or Arab countries, and on the ground, their cries go unheard. The world watches, silent and indifferent, a glaring testament to global hypocrisy. Meanwhile, the outcry over famine in Gaza is driven not by humanity or concern for children, but by hostility toward Israel,’ Daoud opines.

As a seven-year-old, Daoud was responsible for providing food for his family. Every morning, he went seven kilometers to his shop, where he used to sell car parts and petrol. Even though there were many similar shops around, his income was usually higher.

Hopefully, one day we will be able to read about it – he started writing a book about his experiences as a working child in Afghanistan, but has not yet completed it. ‘Now my mind is not at peace.’ Let us wait until he finishes his book, once his family and he are safe.

Danger

 The situation of Daoud is dire. The new rulers are after him. ‘They are not joking. We witness every day the military officers being killed,’ Daoud says.

Safe housing is a matter of to be or not to be. He lives in hiding with his wife and his son, his parents; dispossessed of their own house, his two sisters, and two brothers with their families. Both of his brothers were in the army and their situation is not good either.

‘One of my brothers was imprisoned and tortured for six months.’ Daoud, however, is in far graver danger than his brothers. ‘I was one of the key members in planning airstrikes.’

His brother escaped to Iran, under someone else’s name, on a passport arranged by his father, but was expelled and now lives in hiding too.

‘He has no chance for asylum, because he never worked with foreign forces. If even one of us had a safer situation, we would not be in this disastrous state right now.’

Since that fateful August of 2021, while waiting for his asylum cases to be processed in the US or the UK, Daoud has been struggling to survive daily. In January, their hopes were crushed by Trump’s decision to suspend the refugee admissions program. Daoud understands the President’s motives, he realizes how many people entered the US on fake documents. Still the disappointment is huge because Daoud and his family were in the final stages of being approved for resettlement to the US. Now they risk losing their safe housing due to high costs.

‘Being left homeless would expose me to danger. I have not been able to leave the safe house for months, and my son has been out of school for four years.’

Costly safe housing is not the only problem. They need to eat, pay for water and electricity, buy medicines and basic necessities. There are days when there is not a single penny in the house. The pensioners and veterans have been deprived of their monthly payments, and for four years now his father has not been getting his pension. In a country, where many people are starving, prices are rising, but unable to leave the safe house, Daoud cannot earn for a living.

Family

Daoud’s twelve-year-old son misses his school.

‘He would like to go out and play with friends, but he cannot. So I help him at home with learning English, mathematics, and computer skills. I myself have also been learning English at home through self-study methods since 2021.’

Daoud did not know English while working alongside American, British and Australian pilots and military personnel. ‘We used an interpreter.’

Learning and teaching, mathematics and languages is something of a family legacy. Daoud’s father is a retired teacher, or rather – a paragon of a teacher, with fifty years of full-time teaching experience in Afghan schools. Now the elderly gentleman has nowhere to live, as their family house was seized.

‘At that time, he had secretly established a home school to teach girls, since they were not allowed to attend regular schools. For this, he was pursued and forced to flee and go into hiding,’ Daoud reminisces. That was the period when the seven-year-old Daoud had to take up the role of the breadwinner. ‘My father is now eighty-three years old and still suffers from the fact that girls have once again been denied the right to education. He is an honorable man with exceptional human principles, and I have learned many things from him in my life. He always taught me about honesty and that I must strive to remain human even when the world is in chaos.’

In addition to his two brothers Daoud has also four sisters. Recently his eldest sister⁵, working as a tailor and very poor, paid for a medical examination of a girl suffering from terrible pain. She gave away the money she had earned for weeks of her tailoring work.

Their mother is a housewife and never worked outside the home.

‘She is a kind woman who prays for me day and night and sheds tears over the situation I am trapped in.’

Daoud’s wife owes her education… to her own husband.

‘She attended school for four years but never learned to read, and she eventually left. Later, I began teaching her at home and now she is able to read and write in our Pashto language.’ Daoud’s situation is particularly unbearable because of the misery that his wife has to suffer.

‘She too lives a life similar to that of a political prisoner alongside me, under something like house arrest. It is clear that she does not find any joy in these circumstances.’

Daoud

 The other day, when I tried to communicate with Daoud, he sent me pictures of… his ECG and of some medical prescriptions.

‘After days of effort, I finally managed to get my heart ECG today,’ he explains. ‘I’ve been experiencing severe chest pain for the past few days, with a sharp, stabbing sensation. I was uncertain whether this pain is cardiac-related or stemming from a gastrointestinal issue.’

His ECG does show an abnormal heart rhythm, but at the same time it seems to confirm there is no underlying heart problem. The doctor suggested that the chest pain is likely due to stress and anxiety. And added that further examinations are needed, ones that are not available there.

‘I was able to obtain this single ECG only through meticulous planning and effort. This housing situation has truly disrupted my mental and emotional well-being. I might be able to endure even the most hellish circumstances myself, but I cannot bear to see my family trapped in such a state.’

Thinking how to survive still another day in his own country and how to provide daily food for his family is not necessarily the perfect occupation for a lieutenant colonel, a lawyer, an international relations expert and a charismatic leader. Daoud, born during the mujahideen rule, in the years of the NATO mission earned his bachelor’s degree in law from the National Military Academy of Afghanistan, and his master’s degree in international relations from the Afghanistan University, which is a private university. He subsequently worked every day as a part-time lecturer of Political Science at the private Khana-e-Noor University in Kabul, after finishing his daily duties in the Air Force.

Daoud's graduation ceremony in the university

A certificat from a university where Daoud used to be a lecturer

While in the Afghan National Army, he quickly became influential thanks to his erudition and learning.

‘I could easily defend an officer against any injustice. I also saved dozens of my friends and comrades from death traps. In the Afghan National Army, institutional capacities were limited, and I possessed a strong foundation through independent study. I was entrusted with drafting speeches for the Chief of Staff and the Minister of Defense, which afforded me considerable influence within the institution. My rapid promotion to the lieutenant colonel reflected this impact, and had the government not collapsed, I was on track to become a young general.’

In spite of corruption permeating the system, he never gave in to it.

‘I never engaged in any wrongdoing, and always loved my country and its army.’

Daoud served in the army in the airstrike planning division during their war against the terrorists, in the period of the Resolute Support Mission. He worked closely with U.S., U.K., and Australian pilots and officers, approving thousands of airstrike packages. But since that fateful scorching Sunday of August 15, 2021, he has been living in hiding together with his family in order to stay safe.

‘They seized my home, and I spent all my savings from the military service on safe housing and food, as I could not work due the threat against my life,’ Daoud says.

He currently has active asylum applications in three Western countries, but the bureaucratic process is slow and might well take another year or two. An American friend of his, to whom he was introduced by his western colleagues he served with in Afghanistan, launched a campaign on GiveSendGo, but unfortunately only those who already knew him have contributed so far and despite sharing it on social media, the campaign gained little attention.

Recommendations of Daoud, penned by Western officers and officials with whom he worked

In spite of threatening life conditions, Daoud’s analytical mind cannot but reflect upon complex issues troubling Afghanistan and today’s world. Issues such as hunger killing people in many countries, protection of civilian population during war, international organizations’ duplicity, or the plight of veterans in many countries.

‘I want to understand the situation of veterans in Poland,’ he told me once. ‘In the United States and the United Kingdom, hundreds of veteran suicides are reported annually. It is very distressing to me that NATO member countries lose as many veterans to post war suicides as dictators lose soldiers in war.’

He sent me a short, but amazingly in-depth analysis of the US veteran suicide statistics and shared a few reflections on the military leadership’s attitude to soldiers.

‘During my time in Afghanistan, I observed a critical pattern: when veterans are neglected, incoming soldiers quickly understand that their future mirrors the fate of today’s veterans. Military leadership, particularly during wartime, often proves unwilling to fully bear the human cost of conflict. By the later stages of the war, many soldiers were reluctant to engage the terrorists, having lost trust in their leaders and feeling abandoned. In addition, I reviewed multiple cases in which widows of fallen soldiers were subjected to sexual harassment while navigating administrative procedures for posthumous benefits. Such practices had a profoundly detrimental effect on army morale and operational cohesion.’

His mind is constantly working on solutions.

‘It would be excellent if NATO veterans had an organization beyond their own countries that could lobby for them at the NATO-wide level. They do not receive the attention they deserve.’

 Let’s help them be free again!

 ‘I believe being human is a beautiful experience, but remaining humane in today’s world is increasingly difficult,’ remarks Daoud. ‘I did not celebrate or feel joy at the killing of Jewish children on October 7. For me, the measure of a person is not their religion or geography, but whether they have a kind heart and strive to remain human in these chaotic times. People like this are worthy of respect and love. I extend my friendship and gratitude to you from afar.’

How can we help him and his family?

It is not only a matter of the danger, the high costs of safe house and the need for relocation to Pakistan, but also the everyday problems: food for fourteen people, including little children, costs of medical consultations – especially for the elderly parents, stripped of all their possessions by the new rulers.

‘In the best-case scenario, if everything goes well, my asylum case will take about a year before I could possibly be given a chance to go to the US or another NATO country,’ Daoud says. There might also be a worse-case scenario and the whole procedure might even take two years. This puts his life in grave danger. ‘Here I am, literally counting the hours. I have just been told to leave the safe house, but I have no funds to secure another one. I am also struggling to afford food and medicine.’

His American friend Mark, to whom Daoud was introduced by his British colleagues, launched a GiveSendGo campaign to raise funds for the safe house and for the cost of living. Even small monthly donations will be a huge help.

In my opinion, the Western Community owes this to Daoud and his family. Yes, he did fight for his homeland. But he fought for a free homeland – and freedom is the value we cherish most. He fought for the right of the women to be allowed education and to pursue their professional careers, to choose the clothes they wear. He fought for the children, as well, to be able to go to school and not be abused, exploited, or forced to work to provide for their families.

But Daoud also fought for the West: to free our world from terrorism. He served alongside his western colleagues from the US, the UK, Australia, Poland, Germany, Italy, France and other European countries, from Bulgaria through Portugal. He is one of us, he is human – and he is in grave danger. Who else can help him but we, caring for the one who worked with us not so long ago and because of this very fact his life is now under threat?

 

Here is the GiveSendGo site where we can help Daoud and his family survive in this life-threatening situation:

https://www.givesendgo.com/help-afghan-ally-reach-safety

Here you can listen to an interview with Daoud, conducted in January 2025 by Sally Sara (an experienced foreign correspondent who worked also in Afghanistan) on Australia’s ABC radio:

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/radionational-breakfast/afghan-speaks-as-trump-ban-throws-future-in-limbo/104854186

You can follow Lt Col Daoud on X: https://x.com/A_Protest_Wave and read his new blog "Voices from Hiding", as well as his Substack posts at https://substack.com/@unbrokenpath.

“Rescue those who are being taken away to death,

And those who are staggering to the slaughter, oh hold them back!

If you say, 'But we did not know this,'

Does He who weighs the hearts not consider it?

And does He who watches over your soul not know it?

And will He not repay a person according to his work?”

The Book of Proverbs 24:11-12

Notes:

¹ Michael D. Evans, “Father of the Iranian Revolution,” Jerusalem Post, June 20, 2007, https://www.jpost.com/opinion/op-ed-contributors/father-of-the-iranian-revolution

² Pashtuns are the most numerous of the Afghan ethnicities (according to different data they make up from 38% to 45% of the whole population; Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks are also among the biggest communities. The dominant religion of Afghanistan is presently Islam, with 99% of the population declaring themselves as Muslim, most of which are Sunnis. There are also very small communities of Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and Baha’is.

³ https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/07/afghanistan-in-the-1950s-and-60s/100544/

⁴ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj35611ngyro

⁵ Daoud wrote an article about his eldest sister, published on Lazo Magazine website: https://lazomagazine.com/what-happened-when-one-woman-tried-to-escape-forced-marriage-in-afghanistan/

 

Media about Daoud and the Afghan allies of the US and NATO

There has been a lot of talk about the plight of thousands of Afghan allies of the West, left to their own fate by their NATO partners and being hunted, especially in the context of Trump's decision to halt refugees admissions. Daoud is one of the military officers featuring in an article in San Francisco Chronicle. As Shawn VanDyver, the founder and president of #AfghanEvac, remarked and as many other people involved in saving lives of the allies of America say, an exception should be made for the Afghan allies of the US. Daoud is not the only one left behind, Van Dyver estimates there might be still 40,000-60,000 Afghans whose lives are under threat because of their cooperation with their Western allies.

Afghan allies continue to be betrayed

Beth Bailey (The Washington Examiner, Fox News) writes of the difficulties plaguing Afghan NATO allies: data breaches, deportations from Pakistan and Iran, many of them right into the hands of the present rulers, abducting family members to force them to give up their locations,

An example of their hopeless situation, found on X:

Beth Bailey interviewed someone on YouTube.

Associated Press: They helped US order airstrikes against terrorists. Now Trump's moves have left those Afghans in limbo

Daoud is one of them. “It’s an absolute stain on our national honor that we’ve pulled the rug out from under people who have patiently been awaiting relocation and those here in the US who have recently arrived,” said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts. “This is an imminently solvable issue and our national security demands we fix it.”