Mangaluru: Thirty-five-year-old Deepak Kumar who worked in the fire fighting team of the US and NATO army base in Herat city of Afghanistan can still recount his experience of horror with the Taliban during his stint in the war-torn country.
“I am in touch with locals of Herat city who worked with me. There is a curfew kind of atmosphere in the entire city. People are not coming out of their houses,” Kumar told this agency.
“Only the Kabul airport is operating and all the others are closed. When we were evacuated, there was no mad rush like it is happening in now Kabul. Our base was handed over to the local government after evacuation,” said Kumar.
Kumar from Puttur in Dakshina Kannada worked at the Herat army base on the Iran border for six years. “We worked with Portuguese and British nationals. Some others from Maharashtra and Kerala were also there with me. I was planning to stay in Afghanistan for two more years,” added Kumar.
The Indian however, returned June 22 from Afghanistan with his colleagues Mithun Shetty, Shekar, Hyder and others.
“The military bases were established in the areas where terrorists were highly active. When I worked at a military base, rockets launched by the Taliban used to fall right inside the premises. However, we had radar system which could warn us about the rocket attack. We used to run into the well-built bunkers. Until I was there, no casualty was reported due to rocket attacks,” Kumar stated.
“Military personnel never shared any information with us. However, we used to observe their operations with curiosity. Those who went to fight against the Taliban in fighter jets returned with dead bodies and injured soldiers. They were treated at the base hospitals,” Kumar added.
Until the American army was present, the Taliban never wagged its tail. But, the Taliban was ready with modern ammunition to declare war, according Kumar pointed out.
When America decided to withdraw its armed forces, Afghanistan locals who were in touch were scared. They used to say that the Taliban would occupy the whole country in one month after the withdrawal of American forces, this has come true, Kumar stated.
Kumar is surprised at the manner in which the Afghan army catapulted. “The Americans had trained the Afghanistan military personnel. However, the three lakh-strong army could not defend against the 50-60,000 Taliban fighters. It is really surprising,” said Kumar.
Kumar found the job vacancy at an army base in Afghanistan, on the internet and attended the interview on Skype. He then attended a medical exam in New Delhi and reached Kabul. He was given three days off once in five or six months and his travel expenses were taken care of.
“Initially I was scared. Since it was a military base where safety is ensured and many of my friends already worked, I chose to work,” he added.