a day out in the country

In Afghanistan there are areas where the Government holds little or no sway. Some of these areas are hostile, like Helmand and Kandahar. Some are not hostile; but they are controlled by their own people and have their own laws. One such place is the Panjshir Valley just North East of Kabul. It is controlled by the Governor of Panjshir and his own militia. Anyone entering the Panjshir needs the agreement of the Governor; otherwise the likely outcome is kidnapping or murder.

To appreciate today’s story, first I will give a brief history lesson, so please bear with me.

On the 9th September 2001, an assassination took place in Afghanistan. News did not get to the outside world until the 10th September. If you look at a newspaper printed on the morning of September 11th you will see this was about to become a big story. However a bigger news story of world-changing events later that day diverted all attention. These two events were inextricably linked though, if only that the same organisation carried out both. The man assassinated was General Ahmad Shah Massoud. He was born and raised in the Panjshir Valley and became its Governor. He came to prominence as a leader of the Mujahadin fighting the Soviet forces. The Soviets openly admitted he was the toughest of their adversaries in Afghanistan.

I am told the Soviet tanks rolled up the Panjshir valley in all out assault, supported by fighter planes and helicopter gunship’s on eight separate occasions, and each time they were repelled. The Panjshir was never taken by the Soviets and Massoud was seen as a hero.

After the Soviets left he was Defence Secretary in the short-lived Government which then fell to the Taliban. Again he retreated to his homeland valley and defended the Panjshir from the Taliban, who also failed to enter.

On 9th September 2001, two Al Qaeda suicide bombers posing as journalists met him in Northern Afghanistan. They carried a bomb hidden in a video camera. He died from the injuries caused by this bomb. It is reputed that Al Qaeda murdered Massoud (who was a constant threat to the Taliban) to gain favour with them knowing that in a few days the USA would be demanding the Taliban hand over Osama Bin Laden and his followers (which history tells us, they did not).

Due to his resistance to the Soviets and the Taliban he is now officially the “Hero of Afghanistan” and his picture is on hoardings all over Kabul, a central circle is named after him and his picture is also openly displayed in the windows of many vehicles. Although the true depth of his popularity amongst all Afghans is somewhat questionable.

This brings us to the purpose of this history lesson.

Last week, I accompanied a colleague into the Panjshir Valley to visit the tomb of General Massoud. We gained permission from the Governor through my colleagues contacts and he was allowed to take a Horaji in, provided we took no armed guards and travelled in a standard vehicle with no armour to visit the tomb and do not go beyond this point.

As we approached the Panjshir Valley we came to a checkpoint operated by the Governors militia. This was the limit of the Afghan Government and Foreign forces jurisdiction. From here we were in the hands of the Governor and his men. We were allowed to pass and headed into the valley. The scenery was breathtakingly dramatic. The entrance to the Valley is a gorge that is literally a one track road and river wide; with sheer cliffs either side. So narrow is the entrance that the rock face is cut back where the roads clings to the side. The road literally sits between the solid rock and the river with the rock overhanging. It is easy to see how this valley was defended against the might of the Soviet Army and how the General and his successors have been able to maintain autonomy. Even the might of the ISAF coalition forces would struggle to enter without permission.

As you wind your way up the valley the scenery becomes one of a beautiful wide, flat and green landscape. Either side of the valley floor with the fast flowing, shallow, cold, mountain fed river are towering, sheer rock faces that stretch up to their snow capped peaks, hundreds of feet above. The valley is fertile and appears to be capable of comfortably sustaining itself.

As you enter there are numerous small, dilapidated mud dwellings across the river that are now abandoned. During the Taliban era these houses were built by refugees (IDPs) fleeing the Taliban as the Panjshir Valley became a safe and impregnable centre of resistance.

The further up the valley you go the wider it becomes and small villages appear. The river is central to the valley and its life with a complex network of concrete and mud culverts channelling the fresh mountain water onto the lush fields.

Across the river are a number of footbridges enabling both banks to be inhabited with the typical small mud brick houses and to the land to be cultivated.

For the first mile or two of the valley the banks of the river and the fields around are testament to the Soviet tanks that tried to invade. Old wrecks of troop carriers and tanks litter the landscape, some even in the river itself. Rusty hulks sit in silence, inactive, stripped of anything that can be removed and sold complete or as scrap.

We eventually reach the tomb of Massoud which is a large and unfinished affair. It is a shame but the scale of the tomb was too grand and the money ran out whilst still only a third finished. Although officially the “Hero of Afghanistan” the Government refuses to cover the cost of completing the tomb and it shall remain unfinished until a benefactor is found.

However, we talk to the guard and he allows us entry to the tomb and, rather surprisingly, allows an Infidel to go inside where the grave itself is. This is a large concrete room below the tomb, decorated simply with two carpets hung on opposite walls depicting the Nabawy mosque in Medina and the grave in the centre, draped in the flag of Afghanistan, a vase of flowers and headstone of black marble.

I sign the visitor’s book and look through the pages; only two other Westerners appear in the book, so this is truly a rare privilege and honour.

Once we have finished we get back into the car and head back out from the valley. On the way we stop at a restaurant and have lunch of rice and salad (just for a change), sat by the river with the rushing sound of the water tumbling over the rocks and boulders. (Don’t ask about the toilet!).
As we leave the Panjshir I realise that in all the time we have been there we have not seen either a policeman or a soldier. If anything, it appears to be more peaceful than in Kabul. It has been a truly memorable and exciting experience, I wonder how it would have been if we had not cleared our little journey with the Governor?