Losing an Eye, But not Losing Sight
Kabul is an open war museum, exhibiting testimonials to the destruction armed conflicts can cause to people and property alike. Four-year-old Zarqawi was joyfully running around, unmindful of the ongoing political disputes or armed conflicts. I was attracted to his wide greenish eyes, one of which he could not see from. I called him Zidane, hoping he had a glamorous footballing career ahead of him like the French star. Zarqawi was the only survivor after US forces raided his home located on the highway connecting Kabul to the east of Afghanistan. “The invading US forces killed his father, mother, sister and brother,” our fellow producer in the Kabul bureau, Hameedullah, told me. It was not during an operation against the Taliban. It was indiscriminate shooting which resulted in what US forces call ‘collateral damage.’ It usually goes unpunished. Four dead bodies and an orphaned child was what the US troops left behind. This massacre took place in September 2008, a year before I arrived to report on it. The story of what had happened there had not been told; perhaps it had been intentionally overlooked. I almost fainted when I saw the blood splatters which were still clearly visible on the walls. Fear and horror still hung in the air. It took me a while to regain my composure.
Losing an Eye, But not Losing Sight Mariam Oubaiche | Senior Producer, Al Jazeera News Channel
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