On August 15, 2021, the Taliban occupied Kabul again. Government employees, private institutions, security forces, the presidency, and Foreign-Afghans were in an awful situation and had even lost their escape route. In those days, the soldiers would take off their uniforms and throw them into the trash. They preferred walking barefoot to having army and police-military boots. The city of Kabul had turned into a zombie city; everyone was trying to escape from this city and did not want to stay in this city and continue to live. All people cultivated the thought of escape in their brains and bones. Because the Taliban, from the first period of its dominance and the last 20 years, killing people, bombing, and committing suicide were their honorable and legal occupation. And they have put the people of Afghanistan in a state of confusion.
The book “Deliverance From Kabul” describes a part tragic events of August 15 in Afghanistan. This book, written by K. E. Nielsen, translated by Asadullah Jafari “Pezhman” in March 2023, in 90 pages, has been published by Sibesorkh Publishing House in Tehran. Mrs. Nielsen is an American author who teaches TOEFL and ESL programs to adults and children. Nielsen has been teaching English for more than seven years. He has unique perspectives on effective teaching and learning concerning language teaching. Mrs. Nielsen has been writing stories since childhood; with that being said, Nielsen’s stories and teachings are highly praised and famous.
Anyway, the non-fiction book Deliverance From Kabul tells the story of a family, or rather, the story of a woman named Somia with her two children, height and half-height, who were stuck in Kabul airport. This family is an American-Afghan citizen and came to Afghanistan to visit her relatives, but this visit coincides with the fall of the Republican government. Somayeh and her children were in a dangerous security situation. In total, the book includes 13 chapters. Twelve chapters of this book are written about the rescue of Sommia and her children, and one chapter contains shocking reports of the Taliban’s crimes in Afghanistan. The book’s general structure is research fictional, but the text of the book, in addition to pain and fears, also skillfully carries intelligence issues with it. Therefore, I will briefly address three crucial points in the layers of this book.
The Troubles of the US Soldiers Rescue Team
However, it is understood from the layers of the book that the rescue team of the American soldiers was in a bad situation and faced many dead ends in the rescue operation. Among the crowd, it was difficult for the rescue team to identify people whose lives were in danger. Kabul Airport was a refuge for families and those who wanted to escape from Kabul. The weakness of the rescue team of American soldiers is visible in the book and is palpable. From the chats that Somayeh had with Mrs. Nielsen, it is also known that the Americans were in such a situation that the soldiers and their rescue team were unable to understand the events and were confused.
Mrs. Nielsen contacted the American intelligence department several times to save Sommia and her children, and they only made empty promises to her. We can also understand from the book that high-ranking American officials were also in contact with the Taliban group in those days. Some employees of the American embassy in Kabul allowed American-Afghan citizens to enter the American camp with the agreement of the Taliban. For more explanation, I will mention some examples in layers of the book:
“When Kyle called me asking why the rescue team hadn’t arrived yet, I texted him and explained; Somia and the group that came to save you were attacked by the Taliban group. That’s why they had to go back. But our colleagues are working hard to get you out of that predicament of Kabul airport” (from the book).
Kyle is an intelligence officer for the US forces in America: “We can’t say definitively what you should do or what you shouldn’t do, but in my personal opinion, I think you have to be patient and see if there is an opportunity to meeting with the rescue team or not. If you don’t get this opportunity again, then go to Jalalabad located in the east of Afghanistan; But for now, you have to be patient until the situation at the Kabul airport clears up. I hope that the situation will return to normal so that we can save you from the marsh called Kabul Airport” (from the book).
In any case, the layers of the book show that the Americans were shocked by the situation and could not even guarantee their own withdrawal. Nielsen has intelligently written in her book that the talks are going on with the Taliban, and they are trying to reach a partial agreement so that the Americans can get out of Afghanistan.
Religion and Beliefs
The topics of religion, faith, and belief are very prominent in this book. The book’s author considered faith and devotion superior to reason and has magnified the subject of religion and belief so that the book should be examined from other angles as well. Sometimes Mrs. Nielsen is more religious and extreme than the Taliban, but with the difference that the Taliban are followers of Prophet Mohammad and Nielsen is a follower of Jesus Christ. In any case, Mrs. Nielsen constantly advises Somia to believe in “God.” Sometimes she sends a message to Somia I am praying for you tonight to get out of the Kabul airport. In the coming nights, I plan to hold a group prayer, you should also pray and with the help of God, you will be saved from there. This part is very interesting and should be deepened to understand the differences in the conditions of religion and faith at any time and place.
Interestingly, Somia escapes from a highly religious, extremist, and fundamentalist group called the Taliban; still, her way to escape is paved by another highly religious person named Nielsen sitting in America. Somia stayed with her small children for several nights at the Kabul airport, and Nielsen organized mass prayers in America. In any case, as an example, I would like to point out some excerpts from the book about Mrs. Nielsen’s prayers and recitations:
I again sent a message to Somia: “Be strong and full of strength. God willing, you will return home and start a new life with new dreams. Be aware that we love you and God loves you more than anyone. God will protect you, (from the book). In the second chapter, she asks Somia to ask for forgiveness from God and ask only him for help. As an example: Whenever I find myself in such situations, I ask God for help and ask for his forgiveness, I close my heart to him and cry out to him: Oh! great God, my life is in your hands. I know that Jesus was killed by wicked and evil people. He can indeed forgive the sins of people and humans, but he defeated death and rose again. I believe in his life. We cannot guarantee anything in life, but those who believe in God, He guarantees everything in their lives.”
Mrs. Nielsen’s messages are effective in that situation, according to her. Because she felt Somia was in a bad case, and in that situation, only self-confidence and turning to God was not another way to calm her down. In this way, Nielsen can be seen as a highly religious person who writes religious dictation for Somia from a distance. But Mrs. Nielsen’s role in getting Somia and her children out cannot be ignored because, besides praying, she threw herself into water and stones to save Somia.
Kabul and Ghost of Dread
The most important part of the book Deliverance From Kabul is the theme of fear. The Taliban have surrounded the Kabul airport. They have no respect for people and treat people as they want. During the few days and nights that Somia stayed at the airport, she and her children were haunted by fear and terror every moment. She hides from every Taliban fighter she sees, tears of fear welling up in her eyes. Even the hope of survival is taken away, and she sends a message to Nielsen to save her from hell called Kabul Airport. Sometimes she cannot express it and writes to Nielsen: I feel that my life will end here. The cause of my death could be two things, either fear or the Taliban forces’ shots. As a sample, I will include some of Mrs. Somia’s SMS below:
Somia replied: I am not really well. I am rolling between all kinds of illnesses, sleep is forbidden, and I don’t know what to do or where to go. When I read the answer to her message and realized that she had fallen ill because of the chaotic situation in the Afghan market, the love and affection that I had planted in my heart for her, my heart started to beating. At that time, I was deeply tormented by my conscience. It was several days that I could not eat a full meal myself. The failure of today’s evacuation plans had numbed me so much that I could no longer move and feel good.
Ultimately, it can be concluded that the book “Deliverance From Kabul” expresses a bitter reality of our homeland, Afghanistan, which happened on August 15, 2021, contrary to the expectations of Afghanistan citizens. The Taliban captured Kabul for the second time by the force of gun violence or under a political deal. Also, this book answers these questions for the readers; Those days when people went to Kabul airport due to the fear of the Taliban, they planned to escape from there, and what happened there? At the same time, this book recounts field narratives from corners of the events of those days.
This piece was written by Aman Shadkam and translated by Asadullah Jafari “Pezhman”
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