Five-year-old Sayed Ahmad Rahman, who shot to fame after a video went viral on the internet showing him dancing with joy in a hospital room with his new artificial leg, wants to go school and become a doctor to serve his fellow countrymen.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghan-boy-who-lost-a-leg-to-landmine-blast-dances-with-joy-after-getting-a-prosthetic-leg-216755">His short video, posted on social media</a> this month by an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) staff member, has now been viewed by millions of people and has earned him nationwide fame among Afghans, who praised him as a symbol of resilience in the face of the tragedy of the four-decade war.

The little boy lost his right leg four years ago when he was only eight months old in crossfire between government forces and Taliban fighters in their native village in eastern Afghanistan's Logar province. The incident happened when Ahmad was taken by his elder sister to play outside their house.

Ahmad’s sister was lucky and recovered from her wounds but doctors were unable to save Ahmad’s leg and amputated it below the knee.

''I am very, very happy now I have my leg. I can walk, I can dance and I can go school after this, thanks to God that now I have my leg," Ahmad told EFE.&nbsp;

It is the fourth artificial limb he has had in the past four years provided for him by the ICRC orthopaedic centre in Kabul.

''With the help of this leg, my son now can walk and play. Nothing is more pleasant than to see your amputee son stand again on his own feet," Raeesa, Ahmad’s mother, told EFE.

She is the only earner in the family, working in the fields to feed her family of 12, after her husband got sick years ago. She hopes Ahmad will become the breadwinner of her family in the future.&nbsp;

''I want to go school and become a doctor to help people, give them medicines and make (artificial) limbs for them to dance," Ahmad said about his dream.

According to ICRC data, children make up 10 per cent of Afghans who have lost a leg or arm in the ongoing conflict, particularly because of land mines.

Allah Muhammad, 14, is another child who lost his right leg below the knee five years ago to a land mine explosion while playing with other children on a hilltop near their houses in western Paghman district in Kabul province.

''There were lots of problems in my life when I lost my leg ... now I am comfortable with my artificial leg, now I can perform everything normally," Muhammad told EFE. “I hope the ICRC continues its assistance to us for years to come."

Najmuddin Helal, the head of ICRC’s Kabul Orthopedic Center, said, “80 per cent of the war amputees who lost a leg or arm are caused by land mines in Afghanistan.”

Anti-personnel mines and other explosive devices killed at least 256 children in 2018, a UN report said early this year.

''Children who survive such blasts live with lasting detrimental impact on their quality of life due to loss of limbs or eyesight and psychological trauma," the report said.

The ICRC, which started its orthopaedic services 30 years ago, said that out of the 180,000 disabled people registered with them, up to 55 per cent had been disabled directly by war and the remainder by diseases and accidents as an indirect consequence of conflict.&nbsp;

''We can say the 80% disabilities are either directly caused by war or as indirect consequences of the war" as four decades of war have deprived people of even basic health services, said Dr Shukrullah Zerak, who has worked for past 25 years as physiotherapist with the ICRC.

Zerak believes that the current physical rehabilitation services for disabled persons by ICRC and a few other NGOs are not sufficient and the government needs to take action.&nbsp;

''We still have lots of disabled persons who don’t have access to such services, either due to lack of facilities to arrive in orthopaedic centres or due to lack of awareness of such services in remote parts of the country,''&nbsp;he said.

The Afghan government does not grant the rights of disabled persons guaranteed in international conventions for them in areas like health and education.&nbsp;

''Even governments don’t deliver on their own regulation, based on which 3-6 per cent of employees of each organ must be disabled persons," he said.

According to the most cited estimated data by government and humanitarian organizations, over 1 million Afghans suffer from some form of physical disability, mainly caused by conflict, congenital diseases and accidents. But only 130,000 of them are lucky to receive a monthly pension of less than $20 from the Afghan government which spends a big part of its foreign-donated budget on the war, whose main victims are civilians such as little Ahmad.

''I fear of nothing in the village, but when there is fighting I fear rockets and bullets,''&nbsp;Ahmad said.

Five-year-old Sayed Ahmad Rahman, who shot to fame after a video went viral on the internet showing him dancing with joy in a hospital room with his new artificial leg, wants to go school and become a doctor to serve his fellow countrymen.

Five-year-old Sayed Ahmad Rahman, who shot to fame after a video went viral on the internet showing him dancing with joy in a hospital room with his new artificial leg, wants to go school and become a doctor to serve his fellow countrymen. His short video, posted on social media this month by an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) staff member, has now been viewed by millions of people and has earned him nationwide fame among Afghans, who praised him as a symbol of resilience in the face of the tragedy of the four-decade war. The little boy lost his right leg four years ago when he was only eight months old in crossfire between government forces and Taliban fighters in their native village in eastern Afghanistan's Logar province. The incident happened when Ahmad was taken by his elder sister to play outside their house. Ahmad’s sister was lucky and recovered from her wounds but doctors were unable to save Ahmad’s leg and amputated it below the knee. ''I am very, very happy now I have my leg. I can walk, I can dance and I can go school after this, thanks to God that now I have my leg," Ahmad told EFE. It is the fourth artificial limb he has had in the past four years provided for him by the ICRC orthopaedic centre in Kabul. ''With the help of this leg, my son now can walk and play. Nothing is more pleasant than to see your amputee son stand again on his own feet," Raeesa, Ahmad’s mother, told EFE. She is the only earner in the family, working in the fields to feed her family of 12, after her husband got sick years ago. She hopes Ahmad will become the breadwinner of her family in the future. ''I want to go school and become a doctor to help people, give them medicines and make (artificial) limbs for them to dance," Ahmad said about his dream. According to ICRC data, children make up 10 per cent of Afghans who have lost a leg or arm in the ongoing conflict, particularly because of land mines. Allah Muhammad, 14, is another child who lost his right leg below the knee five years ago to a land mine explosion while playing with other children on a hilltop near their houses in western Paghman district in Kabul province. ''There were lots of problems in my life when I lost my leg ... now I am comfortable with my artificial leg, now I can perform everything normally," Muhammad told EFE. “I hope the ICRC continues its assistance to us for years to come." Najmuddin Helal, the head of ICRC’s Kabul Orthopedic Center, said, “80 per cent of the war amputees who lost a leg or arm are caused by land mines in Afghanistan.” Anti-personnel mines and other explosive devices killed at least 256 children in 2018, a UN report said early this year. ''Children who survive such blasts live with lasting detrimental impact on their quality of life due to loss of limbs or eyesight and psychological trauma," the report said. The ICRC, which started its orthopaedic services 30 years ago, said that out of the 180,000 disabled people registered with them, up to 55 per cent had been disabled directly by war and the remainder by diseases and accidents as an indirect consequence of conflict. ''We can say the 80% disabilities are either directly caused by war or as indirect consequences of the war" as four decades of war have deprived people of even basic health services, said Dr Shukrullah Zerak, who has worked for past 25 years as physiotherapist with the ICRC. Zerak believes that the current physical rehabilitation services for disabled persons by ICRC and a few other NGOs are not sufficient and the government needs to take action. ''We still have lots of disabled persons who don’t have access to such services, either due to lack of facilities to arrive in orthopaedic centres or due to lack of awareness of such services in remote parts of the country,'' he said. The Afghan government does not grant the rights of disabled persons guaranteed in international conventions for them in areas like health and education. ''Even governments don’t deliver on their own regulation, based on which 3-6 per cent of employees of each organ must be disabled persons," he said. According to the most cited estimated data by government and humanitarian organizations, over 1 million Afghans suffer from some form of physical disability, mainly caused by conflict, congenital diseases and accidents. But only 130,000 of them are lucky to receive a monthly pension of less than $20 from the Afghan government which spends a big part of its foreign-donated budget on the war, whose main victims are civilians such as little Ahmad. ''I fear of nothing in the village, but when there is fighting I fear rockets and bullets,'' Ahmad said.

Afghan amputee boy dreams a better future by becoming a doctor

A video featuring an Afghani boy has been making rounds on Twitter and other social media platforms since Monday.&nbsp;

The video shows Ahmed, who appears to be seven or eight years old, celebrating after receiving an artificial limb at the orthopaedic centre of International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan. He lost his limb in a mine blast last year.

The heart-warming video captures the moment when Ahmed got back on his feet after last year’s injury in an explosive attack. The video shows the onlookers and patients gathered at the hospital cheering and greeting the boy as he dances in delight on the local music.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Ahmad received artificial limb in <a href="https://twitter.com/ICRC_af?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ICRC_af</a> Orthopedic center, he shows his emotion with dance after getting limbs. He come from Logar and lost his leg in a landmine. This is how his life changed and made him smile. <a href="https://t.co/Sg7jJbUD2V">pic.twitter.com/Sg7jJbUD2V</a>
— Roya Musawi (@roya_musawi) <a href="https://twitter.com/roya_musawi/status/1125293529486569472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The social media users poured in their support to the small boy's inspiring story and celebratory dancing moment in the video as a symbol of Afghanistan’s resistance to war and optimism to the future and the boy as a living inspiration for millions of Afghanis.

Despite the presence of several international agencies in the region, schools have been targeted in the past by anti-government suicide bombings of Taliban since the Afghan war began after US forces led a campaign to overthrow the Taliban in the wake of 2001's 9/11 attacks.

A United Nation’s report suggests that if the United States of America had the similar share of its citizen killed in conflicts such as Afghanistan in 2018 alone, it will lead to death of almost 34,000 US citizens, which counts more than 10 times the number of people killed in the past attack of 9/11 on twin tower.

The maximum numbers of death in Afghanistan were caused due to anti-government suicide bombings that included the intentionally targeted non-combatants. The 674 civilian casualties have been attributed to international forces were almost all a result of aerial bombings.

Nevertheless, this video also raises the concern of moribund action on 3,804 civilian deaths last year, including 927 children, which is also the highest recorded number of casualties in the country's long-running war.&nbsp;

The international forces have been venturing in the Afghan land for more than a decade now and have been air attacking with missiles, mortars and rockets in several civilian areas as well destructing the city and schools suspected as Taliban terrorist’s hideout location.

A video featuring an Afghani boy has been making rounds on Twitter and other social media platforms since Monday. The video shows Ahmed, who appears to be seven or eight years old, celebrating after receiving an artificial limb at the orthopaedic centre of International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan.

A video featuring an Afghani boy has been making rounds on Twitter and other social media platforms since Monday. The video shows Ahmed, who appears to be seven or eight years old, celebrating after receiving an artificial limb at the orthopaedic centre of International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan. He lost his limb in a mine blast last year. The heart-warming video captures the moment when Ahmed got back on his feet after last year’s injury in an explosive attack. The video shows the onlookers and patients gathered at the hospital cheering and greeting the boy as he dances in delight on the local music. Ahmad received artificial limb in @ICRC_af Orthopedic center, he shows his emotion with dance after getting limbs. He come from Logar and lost his leg in a landmine. This is how his life changed and made him smile. pic.twitter.com/Sg7jJbUD2V — Roya Musawi (@roya_musawi) May 6, 2019 × The social media users poured in their support to the small boy's inspiring story and celebratory dancing moment in the video as a symbol of Afghanistan’s resistance to war and optimism to the future and the boy as a living inspiration for millions of Afghanis. Despite the presence of several international agencies in the region, schools have been targeted in the past by anti-government suicide bombings of Taliban since the Afghan war began after US forces led a campaign to overthrow the Taliban in the wake of 2001's 9/11 attacks. A United Nation’s report suggests that if the United States of America had the similar share of its citizen killed in conflicts such as Afghanistan in 2018 alone, it will lead to death of almost 34,000 US citizens, which counts more than 10 times the number of people killed in the past attack of 9/11 on twin tower. The maximum numbers of death in Afghanistan were caused due to anti-government suicide bombings that included the intentionally targeted non-combatants. The 674 civilian casualties have been attributed to international forces were almost all a result of aerial bombings. Nevertheless, this video also raises the concern of moribund action on 3,804 civilian deaths last year, including 927 children, which is also the highest recorded number of casualties in the country's long-running war. The international forces have been venturing in the Afghan land for more than a decade now and have been air attacking with missiles, mortars and rockets in several civilian areas as well destructing the city and schools suspected as Taliban terrorist’s hideout location.

Afghan boy, who lost a leg to landmine blast, dances with joy after getting a prosthetic leg

Murtaza Ahmadi moved the world with his love for footballer Lionel Messi in 2016. His dream of meeting the Argentinian came true, but now the seven-year-old boy is living a nightmare as one of thousands of Afghans displaced by war.

Murtaza and his family abandoned their home in southeastern Ghazni province in November, along with hundreds of others fleeing intense fighting after the Taliban launched an offensive in the previously safe area.&nbsp;

Now they are among the thousands of similarly uprooted people struggling to get by in Kabul, and also living with the fear that the Taliban are hunting for their famous son.&nbsp;

The image of Murtaza sporting a makeshift Messi jersey -- made of a blue and white striped plastic bag and with Messi's name and famous number 10 written carefully on the back in felt-tip pen -- flooded media and social networks in 2016.&nbsp;

The media hype drew the football superstar's attention, and that year Murtaza met his idol in Qatar, where he walked out onto the pitch clutching Messi's hand as a mascot for a Barcelona friendly.&nbsp;

Messi, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, also gave his tiny fan an autographed jersey and a football.

But the moment of happiness has quickly dissipated.&nbsp;

AFP met with the family recently in the cramped room in Kabul they are renting from another impoverished family, where Murtaza's mother Shafiqa told how they had fled their home district of Jaghori in the night after hearing gunshots.&nbsp;

"We couldn't take any of our belongings, we left only with our lives," she said, her face half hidden by a scarf.&nbsp;

The family belongs to the Shiite-denominated Hazara ethnic group, who were targeted by the Sunni Taliban in their November operation in Ghazni.

The UN says up to 4,000 families fled, with witnesses describing "absolute terror" to AFP. Hundreds of civilians, soldiers, and insurgents were killed in the fighting.&nbsp;

The fear felt by the Ahmadi family was ratcheted up when they learned that the Taliban were searching for the small Murtaza by name.&nbsp;

"(They) said if they capture him, they will cut him into pieces," Shafiqa said, her eyes horrified.&nbsp;

Sports were rarely tolerated under the 1996-2001 Taliban regime, and the Kabul football stadium was a well-known venue for stonings and executions.&nbsp;

Shafiqa said she hid her famous son's face with a scarf to prevent him from being recognised as they fled.&nbsp;

They took refuge first in a mosque in Bamiyan, before arriving in Kabul six days later. Among their belongings left behind are the football and jersey signed by Messi.

'I miss Messi'

Although Afghan security forces have beaten back the Taliban in Jaghori, the family says it no longer feels safe.&nbsp;

"The danger of the Taliban coming back is high, going back is not an option," Shafiqa said.

The attention they received as a result of Murtaza's fame has added to their fears, she continued.&nbsp;

"Local strongmen were calling and saying, 'You have become rich, pay the money you have received from Messi or we will take your son'," she said.

"At night we would sometimes see unknown men, watching and checking our house, and then the calls. During the days, we wouldn't dare let him outside home to play with other children."&nbsp;

The family have already fled once before, to Pakistan in 2016, where they sought asylum in "any safe country".

They returned reluctantly to Jaghori after their money ran out, Shafiqa said.&nbsp;

Murtaza's father Arif remains in Jaghori working as a farmer while his family lives in Kabul under precarious conditions, with inadequate shelter, food, water or sanitation available to the refugees.&nbsp;

They are among the more than 300,000 Afghans -- 58 percent of whom are under the age of 18 -- who have fled their homes due to violence since the beginning of this year alone, according to the most recent tally by the UN's agency for humanitarian affairs.&nbsp;

Homayoun, Murtaza's eldest brother who made him his plastic jersey, says that even in Kabul he is afraid. "We are worried something bad will happen if they know who Murtaza is," he said.&nbsp;

Little Murtaza, meanwhile, says he misses his football and his jersey from Messi.&nbsp;

"I want them back so I can play," he told AFP.&nbsp;

"I miss Messi," he added.

"When I meet him, I will say, 'Salaam' and 'How are you?' Then he will reply saying thank you and be safe, and I will go with him to the pitch where he will play and I will watch him."

Murtaza Ahmadi moved the world with his love for footballer Lionel Messi in 2016. His dream of meeting the Argentinian came true, but now the seven-year-old boy is living a nightmare as one of thousands of Afghans displaced by war.

Murtaza Ahmadi moved the world with his love for footballer Lionel Messi in 2016. His dream of meeting the Argentinian came true, but now the seven-year-old boy is living a nightmare as one of thousands of Afghans displaced by war. Murtaza and his family abandoned their home in southeastern Ghazni province in November, along with hundreds of others fleeing intense fighting after the Taliban launched an offensive in the previously safe area. Now they are among the thousands of similarly uprooted people struggling to get by in Kabul, and also living with the fear that the Taliban are hunting for their famous son. The image of Murtaza sporting a makeshift Messi jersey -- made of a blue and white striped plastic bag and with Messi's name and famous number 10 written carefully on the back in felt-tip pen -- flooded media and social networks in 2016. The media hype drew the football superstar's attention, and that year Murtaza met his idol in Qatar, where he walked out onto the pitch clutching Messi's hand as a mascot for a Barcelona friendly. Messi, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, also gave his tiny fan an autographed jersey and a football. But the moment of happiness has quickly dissipated. AFP met with the family recently in the cramped room in Kabul they are renting from another impoverished family, where Murtaza's mother Shafiqa told how they had fled their home district of Jaghori in the night after hearing gunshots. "We couldn't take any of our belongings, we left only with our lives," she said, her face half hidden by a scarf. The family belongs to the Shiite-denominated Hazara ethnic group, who were targeted by the Sunni Taliban in their November operation in Ghazni. The UN says up to 4,000 families fled, with witnesses describing "absolute terror" to AFP. Hundreds of civilians, soldiers, and insurgents were killed in the fighting. The fear felt by the Ahmadi family was ratcheted up when they learned that the Taliban were searching for the small Murtaza by name. "(They) said if they capture him, they will cut him into pieces," Shafiqa said, her eyes horrified. Sports were rarely tolerated under the 1996-2001 Taliban regime, and the Kabul football stadium was a well-known venue for stonings and executions. Shafiqa said she hid her famous son's face with a scarf to prevent him from being recognised as they fled. They took refuge first in a mosque in Bamiyan, before arriving in Kabul six days later. Among their belongings left behind are the football and jersey signed by Messi. 'I miss Messi' Although Afghan security forces have beaten back the Taliban in Jaghori, the family says it no longer feels safe. "The danger of the Taliban coming back is high, going back is not an option," Shafiqa said. The attention they received as a result of Murtaza's fame has added to their fears, she continued. "Local strongmen were calling and saying, 'You have become rich, pay the money you have received from Messi or we will take your son'," she said. "At night we would sometimes see unknown men, watching and checking our house, and then the calls. During the days, we wouldn't dare let him outside home to play with other children." The family have already fled once before, to Pakistan in 2016, where they sought asylum in "any safe country". They returned reluctantly to Jaghori after their money ran out, Shafiqa said. Murtaza's father Arif remains in Jaghori working as a farmer while his family lives in Kabul under precarious conditions, with inadequate shelter, food, water or sanitation available to the refugees. They are among the more than 300,000 Afghans -- 58 percent of whom are under the age of 18 -- who have fled their homes due to violence since the beginning of this year alone, according to the most recent tally by the UN's agency for humanitarian affairs. Homayoun, Murtaza's eldest brother who made him his plastic jersey, says that even in Kabul he is afraid. "We are worried something bad will happen if they know who Murtaza is," he said. Little Murtaza, meanwhile, says he misses his football and his jersey from Messi. "I want them back so I can play," he told AFP. "I miss Messi," he added. "When I meet him, I will say, 'Salaam' and 'How are you?' Then he will reply saying thank you and be safe, and I will go with him to the pitch where he will play and I will watch him."

From dream to nightmare: Afghanistan's 'Little Messi' forced to flee

afghan-boy

Afghan Boy, News on Afghan Boy, stories on Afghan Boy, articles on Afghan Boy, Afghan Boy stories at Wion, Afghan Boy news, Afghan Boy latest news

afghan boy

Afghan amputee boy dreams a better future by becoming a doctor

Afghan boy, who lost a leg to landmine blast, dances with joy after getting a prosthetic leg

From dream to nightmare: Afghanistan's 'Little Messi' forced to flee