Hikmatullah Is Martyred and Asadullah Is Wounded

Narrator: Mariam (mother)

Victims: Hekmatullah Shafaie and Asadullah Shafaie

Date of the incident: 23 July 2016

Location of the incident: Dehmazang, Kabul City

On the day of the incident, before my sons left the house, I tried stopping them from going, but they replied, “We are not going there to protest for electricity, but we are going to seek justice and defend our rights.” My eldest son Hekmatullah said, “Mother! We must shed our blood for justice and today we are going to sacrifice ourselves for this cause.” It made me upset. I asked them to at least have breakfast but they refused. Before they left the house, my younger son, Asadullah, wanted me to give him some dried apricot. I put some dried apricot, roasted chickpeas, raisins, and some water bottles in their bags. Hekmatullah was 28-years-old and Asadullah was 15-years-old. This year, Asadullah observed the entire fasting month and prayed regularly. Before going out, I asked them again to change their mind, but they repeated their answer and said they wanted to participate in the demonstration and that I should join them and not be afraid. They said they were going to demand their rights and justice. I explained that I had pain in my feet. They said they could walk slowly so I could keep up. After they left, I brought flour to the neighbor and set off to join them. No matter how fast I walked, I could not reach them. It was a very hot day. I arrived in Dehmazang Square around noon, where people had gathered.

People were giving out bottles of water, some dried dates, or pieces of bread. Some people came to us and said that it was better for us to get out of there and move somewhere else because it was hot and we would be troubled. We were sitting in a corner to drink tea when the explosion happened. I fell on my face and a girl fell on me. When I got up and looked behind me, the situation was terrible. I started screaming and hitting myself. There were three young boys there. I went to them and told them that my sons were there; I asked them to find my sons. At those moments, the police gathered and shook me and said that my sons were not in the crowd. They asked me to stop crying. We were arguing when the second explosion occurred. The police quickly took me closer to the zoo as I didn't know the area so well. I cried a lot. The police wouldn't let anyone near the square. A young boy helped me get the direction to my home, and I went home.

At that time, I did not know who had been killed and who had survived. When I got home, the neighbor's son came to me in distress and asked, “where were you, aunt? Everybody has been so worried about you.” When I entered the house, I noticed a lot of noise. When I took a seat at home, I was still not feeling well. Someone said that Hikmatullah had been killed/martyred and Asadullah was wounded. Hearing that, I passed out. The next day, at 10 am, they announced that Asadullah had been martyred too. They did not allow me to see their bodies and I never saw them again. I heard others say that Asadullah had been hit by shrapnel in the back of his head and Hekmatullah had many wounds on his body. Oh God, I wish I had been killed along with them and would not have endured this excruciating pain.

Since their martyrdom/deaths, my daughter cries and says, “Mother, who should I study with now? When Hikmat and Asadullah are not there, who will guide me? Why should I study? How can I tolerate their absence? Every time I go to the room to open a book, I remember them and I can't learn a single word.” Hikmatullah lived with us; he had just completed his studies and had found a job. He had a 7-month-old baby.

Asadullah was the top student at Marafet High School; he worked hard. When I went to his school and asked the teachers about his performance and behavior, they would say he was a role model, a very talented and hardworking boy, and was the pride of the school. Marafet school has an English department; he learned English there. He also studied English at the Muslim Educational Center. One day he told me, “Mother! Two more books are left and then I will complete the English courses.” It would make me feel very happy when I saw him studying. Hekmatullah encouraged him a lot; Hekmatullah would study with and guide Asadullah and his sister. Hekmatullah was a hero to all of us. He was a computer science instructor and solved everyone's problems. No one doubted his abilities. He studied with great interest and encouraged others to study too. God took them from me and did not consider us worthy of them. Every moment and every hour, I wish I was killed with them. When they brought their bags home, they had not even eaten the apricot, chickpeas, and raisins. May God protect everyone against such grief. Only God knows how I feel. I have no more to say, I just have to be patient. Oh, it is very difficult and painful to lose two young children.