Judara, a village with every family in sorrow
- Category: Reports
- Written by Reshad
- Published: Wednesday, 30 October 2019
On 18 October 2019, two explosions during the Friday prayers in Judara village of Huska Mina District – Nangarhar, resulted in the death of 64 and injury of 48 people. Although, it is said that the explosions were suicide attacks but no one has seen the suicide bombers.
The representative of the Solidarity Party of Afghanistan visiting the villagers in their native village, reports that the survivors are in shock with psychological problems and every family has lost at least a member.
There are signs of burning on victims’ bodies which raises the doubts that some kind of chemical must have been used in the explosion.
The images of the victims show an unusual incident and many questions are raised but there are no organization or media outlet to conduct an all-round investigation. No group or individual has taken the responsibility for the incident yet.
Dr. Abdul Qadir, the resident of Huska Mina District, who owns a clinic in the district’s center, said:
“Most of the victims were burnt. I think, some chemical must have been used. We searched the mosque and surrounding areas, but found no metal fragments, which shows that a bomb has been used. If the incident is a suicide attack, the attack must have used some type of chemical.”
Muhtaram, 14 and one of the eye witnesses, said:
“While we were praying, two people rushed into the mosque. We thought, they must villagers who are in hurry not to miss the prayers. One of them run towards the front row and the second one stayed in the last row. Suddenly, there was a blaze and then I heard an explosion sound. The mosque collapsed and we were stuck under debris. My cousine was standing beside me and I remember, he fell down on the ground. I got my conscious in the hospital and heard that two of my cousins, Momin and Ghatol, are killed.”
The village is located in the feet of a mountain, bordering with Pakistan, which accommodates very poor people. The water comes from the upper fountains that is now stopped by Daesh, and the villagers can’t grow their crops. They get their drinking water from a nearby village, which is not enough for them, while the Daesh forces have tap water at their homes. Judara village had only one doctor in the whole village, who has been killed in the incident as well.
The main graveyard of the Judara village is full stones, therefore another villager from Bakhshi villages donated his farming land to be used as graveyard.
Shahid is another victim of the incident. He was graduated from Nursing Institude of Nangarhar, and worked as vaccinator in the district’s hospital. After official hours, he was teaching literacy to the kids and elders of the village and his wife, who was also educated was teaching to the women of the village. He has been killed along with 3 years old son, Yahya, and 10 years old brother, Hidayat. Now, his one year old daughter is the only survivor in the family along with her mother.
Shahid was been killed along with 3 years old son, Yahya, and 10 years old brother, Hidayat.
Judara, being a small village, has no family who haven’t lost a member. Most of the victims are children and adolescents, and according to Education Directorate of Nangarhar, 27 students have been killed in the incident. Another group of village elders had been to another village to attend a marriage ceremony, otherwise the number of the victims would have been much higher.
The mosque totally collapsed in the incident and everyone were stuck under the debris.
Banaras, a woman from Judara village has lost three of his sons namely Bakhtiar, Arif and Sabil. She has left with no tear to shed and no words to speak. Sabil, 15, had married a week before his death.
The mother and father who have lost three of their sons –Bakhtiar, Arif and Sabil.
A year back, Huska Mina District was a stronghold of Daesh, but now a US military base has been established near the Judara village. During the discussion with villagers, they claimed that Daesh is a joint project of US and Afghan Government, and both are supporting this group. A night after the incident, tens of Daesh male and female members surrendered to 01 Unit—a military unit of National Directorate of Security, the intelligence service of Afghanistan, but takes direct orders from US forces—but even the district’s police force weren’t allowed to meet them and NDI moved them secretly to Nangarhar Airport by vehicles with dark filmed glasses.
Download the pdf file of 64 victims of judara village from here.
