Zaki Anwari was just l7 and a striker with the national youth football team when he attempted to flee Taliban rule by clambering on to the fuselage of a US cargo plane in Kabul.
The images of his falling body in August 2021 echo those made famous by the “falling man”, following Al Qaeda’s September 11 strikes on the US almost 20 years previously,
It was those attacks which brought the West to Afghanistan, and which ushered in two decades of increasing prosperity, fledgling democracy and real hope for a historically luckless country.
The past two years have seen that hope snuffed out by a merciless fundamentalist sect riven with internal strife.
“Zaki and I were not yet born when the last Taliban regime took place but we were told lots of stories and the ugly face of the Taliban was in everyone’s mind,” said 20-year-old brother Zaker last night, from his home in Kabul.
“Because we had seen videos of women being beaten, men being beaten just for shaving their beards and wearing Western clothes we never imagined the country would allow them to return to power so easily. But in the end, the treacherous leaders ran away and turned the dreams of the Taliban into reality.”
Zaker’s life has been completely transformed from one of middle-class comfort to perennial misery – and fear.
“I lost my brother and I have lost my father, who died a few months ago of grief. Over time, my studies stopped and we lost our jobs and the shop. Then I lost my freedom,” he said.
“Now we live in secret; fearful that the next Taliban we are forced to deal with will be our last. I can’t go to college, I can’t do sports and go to football or the gym. We are alive but we are not living.
Denne historien er fra September 17, 2023-utgaven av Sunday Express.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 17, 2023-utgaven av Sunday Express.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Emily's expecting even more in '25
ENGLAND'S record points scorer Emily Scarratt is convinced 2025 is going to break new ground for women's rugby in this country.
LUKE: TRASH TALK IS JUST RUBBISH
WORLD CHAMPION Luke Humphries planted his standard at the summit of Alexandra Palace and sent out a warning to Peter 'Snakebite' Wright: \"Your trash talk won't work on me.\"
'Insecure' Elvis feared for future as Beatlemania was always on his mind
ELVIS Presley was all shook up and feared his music career would end when Beatlemania hit America 60 years ago.
Time to roll back the ‘harmful' nanny state
BRITAIN needs to roll back the nanny state and give its citizens more freedom to manage their own health and finances, an independent think tank has suggested.
Rapid nationalisation for failing train firms
BOSSES of failing train operators have been warned they could be fast-tracked for nationalisation.
Life after cancer: 'I am lucky to be here, but now I'm ready to move on'
DESPITE all of her career success Sarah Beeny reveals she is hugely proud that her four sons have formed a successful indie rock band.
growers AI to help cut global waste
RED SPIDER mites can devastate vegetable plants, as this image shows, but help is at hand thanks to artificial intelligence.
Monty brings blooming good news
PERENNIAL green-fingered favourite Monty Don shows no signs of wilting - and will host Gardeners' World for at least another two years.
Reeves: VAT on school fees will raise standards
CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves has defended the introduction of VAT on school fees by insisting it will lead to \"more teachers\" and \"higher standards\" in the state sector.
Homes face £45 bill hike to clear bad energy debt
PLANS to charge every household up to £45 extra on their energy bills, to help write off £1.29billion in customer debt are being considered by the Government.