Correspondent: The Dispossessed Tx Date: 20th January 2002 This script was made from audio tape – any inaccuracies are due to voices being unclear or inaudible 00.00.03 Hasan Voice over A few planes have hit an American building and America has got upset. Innocent people were killed. We didn't do it and I don't know which country did it. 00.00.21 Hasan Voice over Now, because the planes hit its buildings and people were destroyed, America has decided to go to war with the people of Afghanistan. 00.00.30 Correspondent Theme Music 00.00.42 Title Page The Dispossessed 00.00.50 Radio report Reports from Northern Afghanistan say American planes pounded Taliban positions through the night… 00.00.53 Aston 9th November 2001 00.00.56 Taghi Amirani The road to Afghanistan from Iran. 00.01.00 Taghi Amirani The war against terrorism is intensifying and thousands of Afghan civilians are on the move. 00.01.08 Taghi Amirani The story of refugees heading south to Pakistan has been well covered. Little is known about the dispossessed gathering in the western province of Nimruz. 00.01.18 Taghi Amirani With a mainly Iranian team we have gained rare access to Makaki, a refugee camp controlled by the Taliban. 00.01.34 Taghi Amirani Makaki gatepost is a makeshift affair. But there is a war on and we were entering Taliban territory. 00.01.45 Taghi Amirani We're uncertain about our reception. 00.02.01 Taghi Amirani Makaki is two kilometres inside Afghanistan. Set up by the Iranian Red Crescent it was the first camp to be established after the American bombing began. Iran is already host to over two million Afghans who fled the Russian invasion twenty years ago. 00.02.18 Taghi Amirani Reluctant to take in any more refugees they prefer to provide aid across the border even though it's in Taliban territory. 00.02.27 Taghi Amirani The Taliban headquarters is a disused farmhouse on the outskirts of the camp. 00.02.32 Taghi Amirani Our first stop is to meet the commander who struck the deal with the Red Crescent and check his political loyalties. 00.02.44 Taghi Amirani Are you a member of the Taliban government? 00.02.47 Aston ABDOL RASHID BASHARDOOST Commander, Makaki Camp Voice over Yes, I am one of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. 00.02.56 Taghi Amirani How many men do you have working with you? 00.03.04 Abdol Rashid Bashardoost Voice over I have fifty armed men who are responsible for the safety of the refugees and also responsible for the security of the Red Crescent team who are here to serve them. 00.03.17 Taghi Amirani Mr Bashardoost, in this time of war and refugee chaos, you strike me as very calm and together, how come? 00.03.30 Abdol Rashid Bashardoost Voice over A nation that is born into war, grown up with war and has experienced war for twenty-four years will not be afraid of war. From the time of the Russian invasion our people, young and old, have got used to the sound of bombs and shells. 00.03.57 Radio report With the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance claiming further advances towards the strategically important city of Mazar e Sharif in Northern Afghanistan, the United States has confirmed heavy fighting in the area. The American general in charge of the military campaign, Tommy Franks… 00.04.20 Taghi Amirani Subtitle How many new arrivals? 00.04.22 Mr Pahlavani Subtitles About 120 families each day, roughly 500 to 600 people. 00.04.37 Taghi Amirani Mr Pahlavani is the Taliban minder assigned to me by Commander Bashardoost. He is also in charge of receiving new arrivals. 00.05.01 Mr Pahlavani Subtitles American bombs have brought death to almost everyone Their children have been buried in the rubble. 00.05.16 Taghi Amirani One thousand tents are sheltering around five and a half thousand officially registered refugees who receive food and medical care. 00.05.24 Taghi Amirani But the new arrivals, who come in hundreds, hoping for food and shelter, are bitterly disappointed. 00.05.30 Taghi Amirani A piece of desert is all they get. The Iranian authorities do not want to expand the camp so close to their border. 00.05.40 Taghi Amirani Some here have reached breaking point. A young woman, encouraged by the presence of our camera, has decided to speak out. She's amazingly uninhibited by the Taliban. 00.05.55 Nafisa Sharifi Voice over I am asking for your help. Please give us a tent. We Afghan people have become destitute. The people ruling Afghanistan don't know the first thing about government and governing. 00.06.12 Taghi Amirani I'm intrigued by this young woman who has the courage to openly criticise the Taliban within their earshot. 00.06.20 Taghi Amirani They seem equally surprised. 00.06.25 Nafisa Sharifi Voice over Women are not allowed to leave the house. For how long are we to be illiterate? How long are we to be at war? How long are we to be abandoned? For now, we'll be grateful just for a tent. 00.06.43 Taghi Amirani I wanted to hear her story away from the crowds. She agreed to take us to meet the rest of her family for a more private conversation. 00.06.54 Aston NAFISA SHARIFI Voice over I was asleep when the first bomb hit. It sounded distant but shook everything. I was very scared and tried to hide. The second bomb was closer. I fell to the ground and when I got up I saw my mother and young sister had been killed. 00.07.23 Aston ABDOL SATTAR SHARIFI Nafisa's father Voice over If one American dies the whole world hears about it. But Afghans die every day and nobody pays any attention. No one will ask who was killed and how. Look at me. I've lost my wife and child and now live in dirt and no one cares. 00.07.48 Nafisa Sharifi Voice over I feel we should have all died with my mother. Life without her is meaningless. 00.07.56 Taghi Amirani Abdol Sattar's wife was called Fatema. They had been together for thirty-two years. 00.08.07 Taghi Amirani Ismail is Abdol Sattar's friend from Kabul. Every day he must repair his shelter, damaged by the frequent sandstorms. 00.08.16 Radio report Today, the Northern Alliance say they've captured Mazar e Sharif. We test that claim and ask if true what it will mean for the people of Afghanistan and the US plans for the country's future. Also today, Osama bin Laden alive and well… 00.08.33 Aston ISMAIL HASHEMI Voice over All humans have dignity; it is a source of shame for us Afghans to live in a tent. We have fallen on bad times and have no choice. I personally have never had to live in a tent before. The Americans believe the people of Afghanistan don't understand anything but our people understand all too well. You had a rivalry with Russia over Afghanistan. You used us to fight your enemy. We spilt our people's blood in your war but when the fight was over why did you abandon us? You went away and made plans and schemes that have now backfired on you. And you expect us to suffer the consequences of your crimes. No way, you pay for your own sins. 00.09.22 Ismail Hashemi Voice over It's your responsibility to feed and shelter these people because it is you who has brought this on them. Afghans understand very well that American politicians created this mess, long before bin Laden. 00.09.35 Music 00.09.46 Taghi Amirani A day into our stay at Makaki and we've been absorbed into camp life. Jalal Moosazai has decided I need a demonstration in the art of winding a turban. 00.10.04 Jalal Moosazai Subtitles If you're young you have it like this. If you're old like me you hide it, like this. If I give you ten minutes you won't be able to do it even once. But in one minute I can do it five times. 00.10.26 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Will you teach me? 00.10.40 Jalal Moosazai Subtitle Stop laughing all of you! 00.10.51 Jalal Moosazai Subtitles If it's like this you are a Talib. But like this you are not a Talib. 00.11.11 Taghi Amirani Subtitle If I'm young this goes up? 00.11.19 Jalal Moosazai Subtitles That's young. This is an old man. 00.11.27 Taghi Amirani Subtitle From what age does it go down? 00.11.30 Jalal Moosazai Subtitles From about 45 it goes down. From about 20 it goes up! 00.11.46 Taghi Amirani The Red Crescent taking stock of today's deliveries from Iran. 00.11.56 Man Subtitle Rice, lentils, beans, oil, sugar, tea… 00.12.04 Taghi Amirani But there is only enough supplies for those officially registered. 00.12.09 Taghi Amirani For Nafisa and her family it's a different story. 00.12.15 Abdol Sattar Sharifi Voice over They only distribute bread to those in tents. If we get any it'll be by accident or other people's leftovers. 00.12.28 Taghi Amirani Medecins Sans Frontieres is the first western aid agency to risk crossing the border into Taliban controlled Makaki. The presence of Taliban guns in the camp has so far deterred other aid agencies, including the United Nations, from coming in. 00.12.46 Aston Dr PAULINE HORRILL Medecins Sans Frontieres The general priority is to provide better access of medical care for everybody. But obviously the non-registered people are more priority. And even within that priority we cannot see all two thousand people in one day so we've chosen pregnant women and children under five. 00.13.06 Dr Pauline Horrill Well, we know already there's many cases of diarrhoea and we hear there's some cases of bloody diarrhoea, which is quite worrying and acute respiratory infection. There were three children who died within the last five days from that area but nobody knows why. Nobody's asking are you American or are you British, nobody's asking this so I think they're just very friendly. 00.13.38 Taghi Amirani I have decided to take advantage of the relaxed atmosphere and satisfy a long-standing personal curiosity about Islam and beards. 00.13.48 Taghi Amirani Even though I'm Iranian I have never fully understood the connection. 00.13.57 Man Voice over Right from the beginning our prophet said that men should grow beards. In countries in which men shave, how can you tell the difference between them and women? 00.14.11 Taghi Amirani Ah, you have a beard so we can tell you're not a woman. 00.14.18 Aston HASAN Voice over When I am eighteen it'll grow a little. A year later it will grow some more. If it's longer than this then it's no good. When I am older it will turn white like my grandfather's beard. 00.14.36 Taghi Amirani Why do you want a white beard? 00.14.40 Hasan Voice over Because a white beard brings respect. 00.14.46 Taghi Amirani For Hasan's family the loss of dignity is acute. A well to do professional family from Herat, they have driven here in their grandfather's truck. 00.14.56 Taghi Amirani Hasan's father has been held up by the bombing of the city. 00.15.03 Aston Mullah BAREGHZAHI Hasan's Grandfather Voice over We had a house. We had a life. When the bombing started we managed to get to Nimruz with great difficulty and pain. My sons and grandsons have been killed. My household is made up of twenty-five people, young and old and I am currently responsible for all of them. 00.15.34 Taghi Amirani Tell me about your husband. 00.15.37 Aston ZAHRA Hasan's mother Voice over My husband is a TV director. But they closed down the radio and TV and my poor husband became unemployed. There were no more programmes. 00.15.52 Taghi Amirani How are things at the moment? 00.15.55 Zahra Voice over My head feels like this truck. I'm going mad. The children keep crying; I'm almost suicidal. 00.16.09 Taghi Amirani What do you do all day? 00.16.14 Zahra Voice over We sit and wait. 00.16.20 Hasan Voice over We sit and wait for bread, for a tent, so we don't freeze. 00.16.29 Music 00.16.55 Taghi Amirani When you sleep here at night, what do you dream of? 00.17.00 Ismail Hashemi Voice over The dreams of Afghan people are full of fear, poverty and desperation, diseased children. We never have a restful nights sleep. Years of war and sound of gunfire have left a mental scar. 00.17.25 Abdol Sattar Sharifi Voice over All our children ever learn is war. Their play is a war game. One plays Talib, the other Mojahed. One pretends to carry a Kalashnikov, the other a Greenoff and so on. It's not surprising they end up as fighters. 00.17.54 Aston ABDOL RASHID BASHARDOOST Commander, Makaki Camp Voice over They didn't let me get anywhere. My dream was to continue my education, graduate and get a job in which I could serve my people. My aim was always to serve my nation but the foreigners didn't let me. 00.18.15 Taghi Amirani Before the war and revolution, what kind of job did you want to do? 00.18.26 Abdol Rashid Bashardoost Voice over I was training to be a teacher. My aim was to become a teacher, serve future generations, help them get somewhere so that they to could serve their nation. Unfortunately it didn't happen. 00.18.50 Music 00.18.57 Migrant Swallows singing Subtitles Without a nest, I wandered, From house to house I wandered Ever sad without you, from one wasteland to the next I wandered 00.19.14 Taghi Amirani They call themselves the Migrant Swallows. They have been living in Iran as refugees for the last twenty years. A family band from Herat, they had to leave their once beautiful city when the Russians invaded. 00.19.28 Taghi Amirani What was Herat like as a city? 00.19.32 Aston ABDOL HAKIM KARIMI Migrant Swallows Voice over It was a good city, a very good city. There was security and people were happy. They did not understand revolution and war. 00.19.50 Aston MOHAMMAD KARIM HASANPOUR Migrant Swallows Voice over There were lots of parties. We were in demand. But after the Russians came there was no call for art anymore. 00.20.00 Music 00.20.02 Migrant Swallows singing Subtitles This homeland of mine, Is tired and weary of oppression This homeland of mine has neither song nor voice to sing O homeland of mine, Who has kept faith with you? 00.20.23 Taghi Amirani It haunts all refugees that they may never go home and they are afraid to get too settled. But still a little city is springing up. 00.20.33 Singing 00.21.07 Taghi Amirani Since we arrived we've seen the population of Makaki grow to over seven thousand. That's two and a half thousand over the official capacity. 00.21.17 Taghi Amirani Although food is only distributed among those with tents, the water has to be shared by everyone. 00.21.23 Taghi Amirani After a four year drought in the region clean drinking water has become a scarce commodity. 00.21.31 Taghi Amirani For the first time we are seeing signs of tension in the camp. 00.21.36 Man 1 Subtitles See this dirty water, full of microbes and mud, people fight over this water… …suffocating in the crowd 00.21.53 Man 2 Subtitle Thank you Allah! 00.21.56 Man 1 Subtitles If I asked you to drink this you wouldn't touch a drop, but we drink like it's honey! 00.22.02 Taghi Amirani Subtitle How can you drink this? 00.22.06 Man 2 Subtitle We have no choice. 00.22.14 Man 1 Subtitles Our Helmand River is now dry, but there was once a time… …it was so full it even cultivated Iran. But God stopped the rain. Please God forgive Afghanistan! 00.22.35 Taghi Amirani There is a solution to the problems of overcrowding at Makaki. It's another Red Crescent camp called Mile 46, about forty kilometres south. 00.22.52 Taghi Amirani Unlike Makaki, Mile 46 is much further away from the Iran-Afghan border, a location preferred by the Iranian authorities. 00.23.01 Taghi Amirani This camp is under the control of the Taliban's enemy, the Northern Alliance. 00.23.06 Taghi Amirani With empty tents waiting to be filled, the Red Crescent have offered to move the unregistered people of Makaki here. But there are no takers. 00.23.17 Taghi Amirani We went back to Makaki to find out why. 00.23.23 Hasan Voice over It's better here. Why should we go there? 00.23.27 Taghi Amirani But it has tents, facilities and a school. 00.23.33 Hasan Voice over But we can't afford to go there. We don't have the money. We won't go. 00.23.44 Zahra Voice over No, we don't want to go there. They say the enemy is there, the Mojahedin and there are unmarried men who will steal and rape our daughters. 00.23.56 Taghi Amirani Abdol Sattar and his daughter Nafisa on the other hand are keen to move to Mile 46 and have already signed up with the Red Crescent. 00.24.06 Taghi Amirani But they belong to a Persian speaking minority and the camp is dominated by Pashtuns who do not want anyone to leave. 00.24.18 Abdol Sattar Sharifi Voice over When we registered to go, they came and stopped us. They said we're going to the enemy's camp, the infidels. We have now been left in limbo. 00.24.30 Taghi Amirani Who's stopping you from going there? 00.24.35 Ismail Hashemi Voice over The people around us without tents. They say if some families move, then the situation will not seem desperate enough for the agencies to bring in aid. They say nobody should move. 00.24.53 Taghi Amirani Confused, I decided to consult our Taliban guide, Mr Pahlavani, who gave me another set of reasons for the split among the people. 00.25.01 Aston TAGHI AMIRANI Some of them have lost members of the family and have buried them in the local area, in local villages and they don't want to be away from the dead. They're worried that if they move to Mile 46 and they lose some other people they'll have their dead buried in different areas, they want to stick together. Also, some of them have got tents within their families. Like a brother has a tent and a sister doesn't so they don't want their families torn apart, they want to stay together even though some of them don't have a shelter. So it seems that they want to be together whether alive or dead. 00.25.35 Radio Report The Northern Alliance in Afghanistan says its forces have been fighting the Taliban for the western city of Herat near the Iranian border, with many Taliban fighters killed or captured. 00.25.46 Taghi Amirani Herat is only three hundred and twenty kilometres from Makaki. I wonder what Commander Bashardoost feels about the advancing enemy. 00.25.57 Abdol Rashid Bashardoost Voice over We Muslims are proud of martyrdom. It's not a problem if America is killing our people. It can kill every one of us. We have no sins. We will become martyrs and go to paradise. It's our wish to be a martyr. We have no fear of dying, whoever is doing the killing – America, Russia or Britain. 00.26.25 Taghi Amirani We decide to leave Makaki and cross the border into Iran in order to get some hard information about the progress of the Northern Alliance. 00.26.34 Taghi Amirani As we make our way out I wonder about the fate of the camp and its occupants. 00.26.42 Aston 13th November 2001 00.26.46 Television reporter Subtitles This morning forces of the Islamic government of Afghanistan entered Kabul 00.26.54 Radio report Coming up; Kabul has fallen to the Northern Alliance, Taliban rule is crumbling throughout Afghanistan… 00.27.01 Taghi Amirani In order to get news from Makaki we are heading to the office of the Red Crescent when suddenly we spot their van heading the other way. 00.27.20 Producer Are you wired up? We could interview these Red Crescent people from the camp. 00.27.23 Taghi Amirani There are rumours that last night the Red Crescent pulled out its entire team from Makaki. 00.27.28 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Are you going to Makaki? 00.27.31 Driver Subtitle Yes. 00.27.32 Taghi Amirani Subtitle What happened last night? 00.27.34 Driver Subtitle I have no idea. 00.27.36 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Were you there last night? 00.27.37 Driver Subtitle No. 00.27.38 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Who's in charge of the camp? 00.27.41 Man 2 Subtitle The Taliban. 00.27.43 Taghi Amirani Subtitle The Taliban are still there? 00.27.44 Driver Subtitle Probably, like they were yesterday. 00.27.48 Taghi Amirani Subtitle But you weren't there last night? 00.28.01 Taghi Amirani Hoping to get more accurate information we track down Medecins Sans Frontieres to the UNHCR compound. 00.28.10 Taghi Amirani But it seems they too are struggling for information. 00.28.22 Aston IESHA SINGH Action Against Hunger Very briefly, the latest news is that it seems that Makaki Camp was taken last night. We understand that the Red Crescent has sent its staff to Makaki Camp, we do not know what the conditions are in the camp or what exactly is happening. We will not be going to the camp today, either ACF or MSF. That's as much news as we have for the moment. We have no idea about conditions in the camp but there are various rumours that there might be injured people but we don't know. 00.28.52 Radio report Three journalists, two French and one German, have been killed in Northern Afghanistan in a Taliban ambush on an opposition convoy. The French journalists were Johannes Satten of Radio France… 00.29.03 Taghi Amirani The next day we follow a convoy of aid workers to Makaki. We have been reassured by the local authorities that the camp is now safely in Northern Alliance hands. 00.29.15 Taghi Amirani But at the gatepost things aren't so reassuring. Taliban men we recognise are still here. 00.29.31 Man This type of a armed person I've never seen in the camp, with that type of a belt and… 00.29.40 Man 2 We're leaving. We're leaving. 00.29.51 Dr Pauline Horrill It seems that the Mojahedin are in control of the camp but the Taliban are still inside the camp. For me, I think the situation is still very confused between the two sides, it's a high risk situation. It seems also there was shooting close to the camp, we don't know if it's in the camp but it's close anyway. And we can assume this could have been between the two sides and the guard at the checkpoint was very clear to us to say that they cannot assure our security. 00.30.28 Radio report Events are moving fast in Afghanistan. The message is spreading throughout the country that the era of the Taliban is ending. 00.30.36 Taghi Amirani The border crossing at Mile 46. We've come here in the hope of resolving the confusion and to get some hard facts from the Northern Alliance soldiers. 00.30.46 Soldier Subtitles We've taken Nimrooz Province, also Khashrood, Chekhansoor, Kang… all of them have been taken by the Islamic United Front under my leadership. 00.31.00 Taghi Amirani Subtitle What about Makaki camp? 00.31.01 Soldier Subtitle Yes, everything. 00.31.03 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Who's in charge of Makaki now? 00.31.05 Soldier Subtitles The Mojahedin have secured it but there's no commander yet. 00.31.09 Taghi Amirani Subtitle And the Taliban? Soldier Subtitle The Taliban have escaped. 00.31.15 Taghi Amirani The next day we decide to enter Makaki no matter who is in charge. 00.31.20 Taghi Amirani Looks like the Taliban people that we've, been letting us in and out are still there. We recognise some of the faces. 00.31.33 Taghi Amirani Another familiar face I don't expect to see is that of our Taliban guide, Mr Pahlavani, who is about to confuse me even further. 00.31.45 Taghi Amirani Subtitle What happened? 00.31.48 Mr Pahlavani Subtitle We won! 00.31.52 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Was there any fighting? 00.31.54 Mr Pahlavani Subtitle No fighting. They all escaped. 00.31.59 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Who's controlling the camp? 00.32.02 Mr Pahlavani Subtitles The Mojahedin, supporters of the Northern Alliance. 00.32.07 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Where's Commander Bashardoost? 00.32.09 Mr Pahlavani Subtitles He's gone, but he's with us. We're all united. 00.32.17 Taghi Amirani Subtitle So the Mojahedin united with the Taliban? 00.32.20 Mr Pahlavani Subtitles Those who were Talib fled, those who were Mojahed stayed 00.32.26 Taghi Amirani Subtitles Commander Bashardoost told me he had 50 armed men. What happened to them? 00.32.33 Mr Pahlavani Subtitles They were mostly Mojahedin. We had chosen our own representatives and trusted them. We didn't allow the real Taliban in, so there was no conflict 00.32.50 Taghi Amirani Subtitles Mr Pahlavani, when we were with you… I never worked out if you were a Talib or a Mojahed. 00.32.57 Mr Pahlavani Subtitles I kept dropping hints that I did not belong to the Taliban. I was a member of the united forces only here for the people. I couldn't tell you this directly because my circumstances didn't allow it. 00.33.18 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Who were you scared of? 00.33.21 Mr Pahlavani Subtitles I had just spent two months and twenty days in a Taliban prison… …and was no longer officially recognised by them. 00.33.32 Taghi Amirani We are now heading to see if we can find Abdol Sattar's family who were very keen to go to Mile 46 but felt threatened and intimidated by the people here because Mile 46 was controlled by Mojahedin and they were obviously going to go to the enemy's camp. But the enemy is now here and the enemy is their friend so I am as confused as everybody else. 00.33.56 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Where was Abdol Sattar's home? Mr Pahlavani Subtitle Just here. 00.33.59 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Are you sure? 00.34.03 Taghi Amirani Apparently, this is where I filmed Abdol Sattar. 00.34.08 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Was Abdol Sattar here? 00.34.11 Man Subtitle They've gone. 00.34.14 Taghi Amirani Failing to find Abdol Sattar we went looking for Hasan's family. 00.34.21 Taghi Amirani This is where they'd set up camp and… 00.34.26 Man Subtitle They've gone to Mile 46. 00.34.30 Taghi Amirani They seem to have abandoned the truck. 00.34.34 Taghi Amirani Subtitle When did they go? Man Subtitle Just now. 00.34.36 Taghi Amirani Subtitle How long ago? Man Subtitle Half an hour. 00.34.39 Taghi Amirani After my crash course in the fickleness of Afghan politics, Mr Pahlavani takes me to meet his new commander. 00.34.46 Mr Pahlavani Subtitles This is Mr Seyed Ahmad Makaki, Commander of Makaki Camp. 00.34.52 Syed Ahmad Makaki How are you? 00.34.54 Taghi Amirani You speak English? 00.35.00 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Congratulations! You won. 00.35.04 Syed Ahmad Makaki Subtitle Thank you very much. 00.35.06 Taghi Amirani Subtitle So you're now in charge of the camp? Syed Ahmad Makaki Subtitle Yes. 00.35.09 Taghi Amirani Subtitle How are things? 00.35.12 Syed Ahmad Makaki Subtitles The security is very good and there are no problems. 00.35.17 Taghi Amirani Commander Makaki is a local man. The land here has been in his family for two hundred years and he's come to reclaim it. 00.35.30 Aston SYED AHMAD MAKAKI Commander, Makaki Camp Voice over Right from the beginning of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan I picked up the gun and I have been fighting aggressors ever since. Before that I was a teacher, in Nimrooz, in Char Borjak and in Mazar e Sharif. 00.35.47 Taghi Amirani What did you teach? 00.35.49 Syed Ahmad Makaki Voice over Sociology. 00.35.51 Taghi Amirani When I spoke to the previous commander, Mr Bashardoost, he said he also wanted to be a teacher. 00.35.59 Syed Ahmad Makaki Voice over No, he was a kid. I'm not sure how far he got with his education but I don't think he made it as a teacher. 00.36.10 Taghi Amirani Did you know him? 00.36.11 Syed Ahmad Makaki Voice over Yes, I knew him well. 00.36.13 Taghi Amirani You knew him well? 00.36.14 Syed Ahmad Makaki Voice over Very well, yes. 00.36.15 Taghi Amirani Were you friends? 00.36.19 Syed Ahmad Makaki Voice over For a while at the time of the Russian invasion we shared the same trench. Yes, yes, we fought the Russians in the same trenches. 00.36.34 Taghi Amirani As Mr Makaki goes to join his triumphant soldiers I think back to my conversations with Bashardoost and wonder where he is now. Is he in prison, or has he gone back to his village? We couldn't find him again. 00.36.47 Singing 00.36.54 Taghi Amirani The dispossessed of Makaki are on the move again, this time to another temporary home at Mile 46. It is also where we need to go to find Abdol Sattar and the little boy Hasan. 00.37.07 Migrant Swallows singing Subtitles Our only dream, is for peace in our land Remember martyred fathers and tearful mothers Will we ever find our lost youth? 00.37.26 Taghi Amirani Subtitles I'm looking for Ismail Hashemi and Abdol Sattar 00.37.30 Man Subtitle Son of Abdol Sattar? Taghi Amirani Subtitle No, not son of Abdol Sattar. 00.37.35 Man Subtitle Did they arrive yesterday? Taghi Amirani Subtitle Yes maybe. 00.37.40 Man Subtitle This is only from yesterday afternoon. 00.37.55 Taghi Amirani Subtitle We found you! 00.38.09 Taghi Amirani Subtitle You've made a nice place here. 00.38.23 Taghi Amirani And at last I get a glimpse of Nafisa, the woman in the blue burkeh, who a few days ago had caught my attention by her brave anti-Taliban tirade. 00.38.36 Taghi Amirani The burkeh has gone but the family is still cautious. 00.38.44 Ismail Hashemi Voice over I predict we will have to stay here for a year or so. The problems of Afghanistan are not such that people can go back home in a couple of months. The peace, reconstruction and help for the people, these things will take a very long time. 00.39.02 Taghi Amirani Finding Hasan's family from among the new arrivals is the last piece of unfinished business before we leave Afghanistan. 00.39.17 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Are you Hasan's Mom? Zahra Subtitle Yes. 00.39.25 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Where are the rest? Zahra Subtitle Over there. 00.39.34 Zahra Subtitle My husband has also arrived. 00.39.37 Taghi Amirani Subtitle Where is he? 00.39.43 Taghi Amirani Zahra had told me her husband was a TV director. I am about to meet my Afghan counterpart. 00.39.52 Seyed Khaksar Hashemi Subtitles Oh, no, not in this state! Wait till I have cleaned up a bit. This is not a good time. 00.40.17 Taghi Amirani Subtitle When did your father arrive? 00.40.19 Hasan Voice over He arrived just as we were about to leave the other camp. At the moment he's too sad to tell us the things that happened to him on the way. 00.40.28 Music 00.40.47 Taghi Amirani Subtitles How many rooms did you have in your own house? 00.40.50 Zahra Subtitles I had a guest room, living room, kitchen, three rooms and a hall. 00.41.00 Music 00.41.09 Taghi Amirani Reduced to making a home in the remote Afghan desert, Hasan's father now has time to reflect on what he's lost. 00.41.19 Aston SEYED KHAKSAR HASHEMI Voice over We had education and children's programmes, Documentaries about refugees, a music department, films from different countries and on Saturdays and Wednesdays we had a serial. 00.41.39 Taghi Amirani What kind of a future do you see for your family? 00.41.45 Seyed Khaksar Hashemi Voice over As for the future of my family, well none of my children are literate. Education is light and a house without education will be dark and bring misery. 00.42.03 Zahra Voice over We hope they'll set up a school here for our children. We will not go back. I am prepared to stay here for the sake of their education. 00.42.14 Taghi Amirani Hasan, what do you want to do when you grow up? 00.42.18 Hasan Voice over If I can start school now I want to become a doctor. 00.42.27 Music 00.42.34 Taghi Amirani Over a million Afghans have been driven out of their homes. 00.42.38 Music 00.42.43 Taghi Amirani It is estimated that three and a half thousand civilians lost their lives. 00.42.49 Taghi Amirani As the war against terrorism moves on to find other targets, I wonder about the fate of this battered old country. 00.42.59 Taghi Amirani I worry about the kind of memories these children will be taking into an uncertain future. 00.43.04 Music 00.43.07 Taghi Amirani The Taliban have gone; foreign armies are here to keep the peace but Afghanistan's troubles are far from over. 00.43.15 Singers Subtitles This homeland of mine, Is sick beyond remedy! This homeland of mine Is like a waiting, watchful eye. 00.43.31 Man Subtitles We ask the world to build Afghanistan not to destroy it. 00.43.35 Music 00.43.38 A Siguy Films Production for the BBC 00.43.40 Voice over Taghi Amirani will be live on-line tomorrow at two thirty pm. You may e-mail your questions to him now at: www.bbc.co.uk/correspondent 00.43.41 Credits Camera CORNELIUS SCHULTZE-KRAFT Music MICHELE MADDEN Dubbing Mixer JOHN ROGERSON VT Editor NICK ARTHUR Graphic Design PAUL BEBBINGTON Location Co-ordinator MANSOUR KHERRADMAND Assistant Producer ALI REZA HAGHIGHI Production Manager JACKIE HENSON Associate Producer JOHANNA SCHWARTZ Picture Editor SAADI HAERI With thanks to The Centre for World Dialogue Executive Producer ROGER JAMES Producer BORNA ALIKHANI Reported & Directed by TAGHI AMIRANI 00.43.56 Voice over Next week the case against Slobodan Milosevic. How a Serbian policeman's photographs of a war crime could be the former president's undoing. 00.44.09 Editor FIONA MURCH BBC © BBC MMII 00.44.13 End BBC Correspondent 1 4