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Afghan women soldiers training under Indian Army 'to kill Taliban'

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, IndiaWritten By: Madhumita SahaUpdated: Dec 12, 2017, 11:53 AM IST
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Indian soldiers instructing women cadets of Afghan National Army on how to accurately aim an AK-47 Photograph:(WION)

It was a secluded part of the Officers' Training Academy in Chennai. A military car took us only so far but beyond that, we had to walk through a muddy path to reach a green patch of land, surrounded by a white wall. I am sure no one could see what was going on inside.  

On the wall is written: Shoot to Kill, Ek Goli Ek Dushman and HAT. 

A red flag fluttered slowly as the jawans went about explaining to us what HAT stands for: Hold, Aim, Trigger press. Trained in this Academy, the soldiers, upon graduation, take up crucial positions in the war against terror in different parts of India. The price for a moment of hesitation is too stiff, and the training ensures that the soldiers are ruthlessly accurate in what they do. 

India trains Afghan woman to take on the Taliban

We waited with baited breath as the jawans prepared for the drill shootout. On the ground lay dozens of AK-47. The trr trr trr sound rattled the still humid air of the morning. Unaccustomed to the sound, I startled every time I heard the sound throughout the morning session. Made me wonder, how one can get accustomed to bullets whizzing pasts, ignoring it and go on with their daily lives.  

It was no ordinary Monday morning for either us or the officers and instructors of the OTA. Soon in a line, more than a dozen woman in war fatigue and head covered with headscarf walked into the ground. They constitute the core of the women unit of the Afghan National Army. 

Led by a lady officer of the Indian Army, the women soldiers slowly walked up the podium, the male officers sat down with them, helping them with the AK-47. A volley of fires started soon. Determined jaws, focused eyes, strong grip, here are the women of Afghanistan getting ready to fight against evil, powerlessness, in a quest for liberty.

Afghanistan is about to witness a revolt, starting from its kitchen. (WION)

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Each of these women has a story to tell that is gruesome and gritty while their response has been nothing less than gallant. To fight the years of oppression heaped upon them by one of the cruelest and oppressive regimes the world has seen, the Afghan National Army has now taken the decision to send out women from each of the tribes of the country for a training period of 20 days in India.

The Indian government, driven by strategic and humanitarian concerns, has agreed to it. The Afghan women have been flown in from Kabul to the OTA as this is the only military institution in India which trains women. Side by side with Indian women cadet, the Marwahs, Arbiyas and Hasinas of Afghanistan are learning to fire AK-47, fight cyber terror and participate in other military training. 

AK-47 in henna painted hands

This is not a mean feat. One needs to keep in mind that these women led a burqa-clad existence through their teens. Their palms are still decorated with Henna, they wear bangles, and gold rings adorn their slender fingers. Pink and purple nail polish shine from their fingernails. They are still, in appearence at least, very different from their Indian counterpart but no less motivated and, perhaps, will be operating in a more challenging position. 

The Afghan women come from a country where they cannot wear their military uniform at the fear of being killed, the officers told me repeatedly. 

Marwah was sitting at the corner of drill ground, all by herself, when I approached her. She is 24 years old, married to her childhood sweetheart who is now a major in the Afghan army. Marwah is a Pakhtun and comes from region replete with Taliban. Living had become a nightmare for little Marwah. But she and her family courageously fought against all odds. 

Marwah went to study law at Wood University, a US-aided institution, which gets regularly attacked by Taliban suicide bombers. 

When I asked Marwah why she came to India, pat came the reply, 'to kill Taliban'. 

The tide is turning against the Taliban

Soon, Marwah's henna painted hands will hold an AK-47 to defend the rights of women in a war-torn country. While it sounds all heroic to hear Marwah talk about resisting Talibans to save her motherland, how could I forget her deep sigh when she said, I am lucky because in my country, Indian women are free to be lawyers. She wanted to be a lawyer until the Taliban came sword rattling to chop off the nose of any girls going to school. 

Marwah's story is very similar to other women of the Afghan National Army. They are dead against Taliban. They had the support of their family in their fight. They are deeply appreciative of India's help. They wanted a longer period of training in India. More importantly, they want to go back to Afghanistan and impart whatever they learned in the OTA to other Afghan women.  

I witnessed a historic moment in South Asian history as I stood watching these women fire AK-47. In agreeing to equip these women, India has got a chance to leave an indelible mark on the global war against terror. The country's bigger strategical and political goals may see a fruitful realisation as more and more women (and men) come for training at our shores. 

As for Afghanistan, this is a now or never moment. The tide is turning against the Taliban who still occupies 40 per cent of the national territory. But the country is about to witness a revolt starting from its kitchen. It will be, as we say, mother of all battles, led by the mothers of the nation.