HEART STOPPING ACCOUNT: The Taliban sent a signal they were coming for me - a bullet-ridden body on my doorstep

Bakhtiar Shoresh realised the Taliban were coming for him when he received ‘a signal’ three months ago. Chillingly, the ‘signal’ was the bullet-riddled body of a young man dumped at midnight on the doorstep of his home in a quiet Kabul suburb.

Over the previous 20 years, Bakhtiar, 46, worked as an interpreter for The Mail on Sunday and many other Western media organisations. British security companies in Afghanistan also benefited from his expertise and before beginning a Masters degree in Business Administration last year, he was the Kabul representative of a UAE company manufacturing armoured vehicles.

If, as widely believed, the Taliban have a hit list, he was surely on it – and more than likely, he adds with a mordant laugh, nearer the top than the bottom.

The man left slumped against his front door was a stranger. ‘I hadn’t heard any shots – none of us had – which makes it even more clear in my mind that he was killed elsewhere and brought to my house as a warning,’ says the father-of-four.

Fears about his safety intensified in the following weeks as he began receiving sinister phone calls. ‘They said things such as “We know who you are” and sometimes they were even more threatening or else were just silent. I knew that we – my family – would have to leave Afghanistan, our homeland.’

Today Bakhtiar, his wife Qudsia and their children, aged between two and 14, are safe in Britain, quarantining in a hotel near Heathrow after a dramatic escape. It followed a desperate appeal for help to this newspaper and months of negotiations.

The family got out with only hours to spare. Last Thursday, the day after he landed in England, also accompanied by his three younger sisters, a suicide bombing at Kabul airport killed 182.

Bakhtiar knows he is lucky. His voice breaks when he recalls the moment – just after 5pm last Monday – when he double-locked the front door of their comfortable three-storey home, looked over his shoulder for the last time and hastened his family into two taxis waiting to take them on a perilous seven-mile journey to the airport.

For years he saved to buy the house – along with a Toyota Land Cruiser he left on the driveway – but he fears both will fall into the hands of militants. Infinitely more painful, he left behind family photographs and many other treasured possessions. ‘The man from the British Embassy said to take just two sets of clothes each. There was no room on the plane for anything else,’ he says.

But ever optimistic, he counts his blessings. After all, there were many times when he thought he would never leave with his life.

In desperation he contacted everyone he knew in the West, including journalists in Canada and the US and The Mail on Sunday’s former foreign correspondent Barbara Jones, with whom he worked in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks. Jones and MoS managing editor Robyn Kelly pleaded his case with the Foreign Office.

When the Taliban poured into the capital on August 15, Bakhtiar watched on television as the events unfolded outside his home. ‘It was so hard explaining to the two older children – my son who is 14 and my daughter, 11 – that it was more important than ever to leave,’ he says. ‘They were sad, of course. All their friends… all that they have known. But they were both so good about it. My son looked at me and said, “Dad, don’t worry, we know it’s not safe for you. We are with you.” ’

Three days after Kabul fell, the Taliban stepped up their search for those who worked for Nato forces or the previous Afghan government. They eventually descended on Bakhtiar’s neighbourhood where he was alerted by children playing football in the street outside his home. ‘The Taliban are going door to door,’ one boy cried.

On Monday last week, with hope ebbing away, he received a call out of the blue from a British Embassy official bearing joyous news: an offer of relocation to England. Visas for his entire family appeared in his email inbox minutes later. But they had to move fast.

Half an hour later, their taxi slowed to a halt at the first of five Taliban checkpoints. Sitting in the front passenger seat, Bakhtiar turned and squeezed his wife’s hand but said nothing.

He wound down the window and delivered the story agreed with his family. It was simple: they were going to stay with his uncle outside the city. The Taliban official seemed uninterested and after a few basic questions, waved them on their way. It was the same at the next checkpoint, but arriving at the third filled them all with dread.

This time they were Taliban special forces, dressed in black, even their faces were covered by black scarves, and they carried American M4 assault rifles,’ recalls Bakhtiar. The questioning was more intense and both cars were searched. Eventually, they were allowed to pass.

At the next checkpoint, a mile or so from the airport, Bakhtiar changed his story. He told the Taliban official they were British nationals and produced copies of their visas. To his surprise, they were waved on.

Finally, they reached the Baron Hotel near the airport, used mainly by British officials as a centre for processing Afghan people hoping to be evacuated.

Many more hours of waiting and processing followed before they finally boarded a military plane to Dubai, another to Manchester, then to Heathrow. ‘All of us were tired and quiet on the plane,’ he says. ‘Just alone with our thoughts. There were two visions before me that were competing in my head.

‘I kept seeing and thinking about the people I left behind, our country, our whole way of life. At the same time, I was extremely happy and grateful to be heading to England, a dream come true.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZydA83v6ugU

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9936343/amp/Afghan-translator-gives-heart-stopping-account-escape-Afghanistan-arriving-UK.html

My first ever FTC on nairaland.. I dedicate it to my family, my friends, my customers, my enemies and my neighbours and to my ex Sonia, I love you all ❤..

'These religion of peace' folks sef.

Na wa ooh, truly heartbreaking story

Damnnn niggar
Isoright....

Bunch of fuckkkers trying so hard to make us believe taliban are heartless and bad

Those of us with a good sense of reasoning say hell no to this America bullshit

Adapted from Dr Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam:

As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving Minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:

United States -- Muslim 1.1%

Australia -- Muslim 1.5%
Canada -- Muslim 1.9%
China -- Muslim 3 %
Italy -- Muslim 2.5%
Norway -- Muslim 1.8%

At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs.

This is happening in:

Denmark -- Muslim 2%

Germany -- Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom -- Muslim 4.7%
Spain -- Muslim 4%
Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%

From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population.


For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims.
They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along with threats for failure to comply.

This is occurring in:

France -- Muslim 8%

Philippines -- 5%
Sweden -- Muslim 5%
Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%

At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.

When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions.

In Paris, we are already seeing car-burnings. Any non Muslim action offends Islam, and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam.
Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections, in:

Guyana -- Muslim 10%

India -- Muslim 19.4%
Israel -- Muslim 16%
Kenya -- Muslim 10%
Russia -- Muslim 15%

After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:

Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%

At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:

Bosnia -- Muslim 40%

Chad -- Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%

Nigeria 50% Muslim

From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:

Albania -- Muslim 70%

Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%
Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%
Sudan -- Muslim 70%

After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:

Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%

Egypt -- Muslim 90%
Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%
Iran -- Muslim 98%
Iraq -- Muslim 97%
Jordan -- Muslim 92%
Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan -- Muslim 97%
Palestine -- Muslim 99%
Syria -- Muslim 90%
Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%
Turkey -- Muslim 99..8%
United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%

100% will usher in the peace of "Dar-es-Salaam" -- the Islamic House of Peace.. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:

Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%

Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%
Somalia -- Muslim 100%
Yemen -- Muslim 100%

Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.


It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law.

The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death.

Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.

Today's 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world's population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other believers.


Muslims will exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century.

That's scary.. I pray Nigeria do not degenerate to this with boko Haram, bandits etc etc here and there. May God help us o

with what is happening in afghan, we pray we don't experience this kind of thing in Nigeria.
which country in west Africa is ready to accommodate Nigeria's population.

lalajnr:

Sharon6:
. A.

Xtramagann:
V

Teewhy2:

Olymind:
K

Tigurro:

hakeem4:

lalajnr:
U

When dem dey share sense where una go?

Religion of peace when dey make united nation tear in pieces

The world don finish through the help of religion of piece

Jesus wept

Okay

The funny fact is that the Taliban are not in total control of Afghanistan. There is a region in the north eastern part of afghan that the Talibans have not taken over yet

Taliban

These people are pure evil & need to be defeated.

They should thank God the US & others respect humanity and are willing to accept Afghan refugees else they all would have suffered very terrible fate.

All is well

The World especially Nigeria needs Islamic rule to correct the ills and moral decay going on in the Nigeria.

Anything that has to do with that religion of piss has a problem with humanity

Same people that are now called Talibans, are the same people the USA used to destroy Afghanistan 30 years ago but then the western government called them freedom fighters
Mujahideen
The USA was and are still the biggest Terrorist in the world
Libya
Syria
Afghanistan
Vietnam
Iraq

With everyday comes a new propaganda campaign agaisnt the taliban. The US shouldve let them be in the first instance. Now they're selling distraction to the media to save face

Mheen! I hope our leaders are learning some lessons from Afghanistan

Thank God for your life

R

Canih28:
g

Nah thunder go fire una :-/

may the lord have mercy upon you son

Wetin the leta G stand for

Gwagon

Chai, what a useless terrorist called talibans

What is unclear now:
- The number of targeted people
- The profile of the targeted people

The Talibans are also cruising the seized American humvees and Blackhawk helicopters and above all they also have a good photographer.

It shall never be well with Islam,

Religion of piss...