Shamali Valley Refugees October 2000

Nearly 180,000 Afghan civilians uprooted - Just north of Kabul, the lush Shamali Valley was one of the most fertile regions of Afghanistan. Until the middle of 1999, the valley was home to mainly ethnic Tajik farmers. In September anti-Taliban forces, including those of Ahmed Shah Masood, also Tajik, surrounded Kabul. During the fighting that followed, Taliban soldiers swept through the Shamali Valley and forced out everyone - nearly 180,000 people. Not satisfied with "cleansing" the valley of it's Tajik population, the Taliban conducted a "scorched earth" policy as they retreated, poisoning wells, exploding irrigation ditches, and destroying orchards. The livelihood of the farmers was shattered, ensuring, "that the local Tajik population would not return in a hurry." (A. Rashid 2000, Taliban, Yale, p.62) While the Taliban were "turning Kabul's agricultural belt into a wasteland," 180,000 of the Valley's residents were in search of a new home. Some fled to the nearby Panjsher Valley. Many women and children were seperated from their male family members and taken to Kabul by the Taliban. Ultimately, the instability inside Afghanistan impels many refugees to cross the border into Pakistan. From Farmers to Beggars: Shamali refugees in Islamabad Because of overburdened refugee facilities and dwindling foreign aid for Afghan refugees, recent arrivals are forced to make do in the most squalid environments. In early November 2000, a RAWA mobile medical team visited a group of refugees from the Shamali Valley living in a garbage dump in Islamabad, Pakistan. Worse than the loss of dignity is the toll taken on the health of the refugees. The RAWA doctors found that 90% of these people were in poor health and needed medical attention. Unfortunately, most of them cannot afford hospital care. The village women of Afghanistan do not normally allow themselves to be photographed (often because their husbands will beat them if they do so), but our colleagues at RAWA were lucky enough to be permitted to capture on film a glimpse into the lives of these Shamali women refugees in Islamabad. Click on the thumbnails below to see photos.