Many survivors of the U.S. attack on the Azizabad Village in western Afghanistan's Herat Province 17 years ago are still suffering from immense physical and mental pain, unable to overcome the grief of losing their loved ones.
The night raid by U.S. troops on August 22, 2008 left nearly 100 civilians dead in the village, most of whom were women and children.
Golrokh, a survivor who was 23 years old when the attack took place, was left permanently paralyzed. The woman said she lost 18 family members, including her children, parents, and siblings.
"Eighteen of my family members, including my father's relatives, my brother's wife, and my children, were killed. When the shell struck our home, the building collapsed, and they lost their lives," said Golrokh.
Whenever he longs for his lost loved ones, villager Rangin will walk into his previous home, which was reduced to ruins in the raid, to search through the rubble for memories of the time spent with his family.
He witnessed the tragic scene where his family members were killed 17 year ago, but he felt helpless in the face of armed American soldiers.
"I hid myself in the well until morning. When I came out, I saw that the yard had turned into ruins. The Americans were also there. They attacked from the air and the ground. Everyone was very sad, and no one dared to check on the neighbors or ask what had happened," he said.
Villager Abdul Hamid, who was also injured in the U.S. strike, lost 11 family members in a single night. He is still struggling to recover from the deep sorrow of his loss.
"My father and brother cannot be forgotten. As long as we are alive, they will never be forgotten," Hamid said. Today, those casualties are buried in the cemetery of the village.
On October 7, 2001, the U.S. launched the war in Afghanistan under the guise of "counter-terrorism." The military action, which lasted 20 years, not only failed to achieve its so-called goal of combating terrorism but also caused immense loss of life and property for the Afghan people, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Afghan civilians and about 11 million becoming refugees.
Survivors still suffer from physical, mental pain 17 years after U.S. raid on Afghan village
