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Taliban chops the face of man caught voting
Malaysia Sun
Monday 31st August, 2009
The Afghanistan Taliban slashed off a man's ears and nose for defying their order and casting his vote in the country's presidential elections.
Lal Mohammed, 40, was on his way to the polling station on August 20th when he was held by Taliban militants, beaten brutally, and then had his nose and ears slashed off.
Mohammed said he had been stopped by three men with AK-47 rifles and bandoliers of ammunition.
He said they did not hide their faces and identified themselves as Talibs.
"When they found electoral registration papers in my pocket," he said, "they began beating me."
"One man sat on top of my chest and got out a knife and I began to feel terrible pain when he slit my nose. I was passing out, but another man was still using knives and there was more pain, I could feel blood all over my face. I thought it was better to die."
The Independent newspaper has reported Mohammed was unable to receive treatment when the main hospital in Kabul said it had no room to keep him due to chronic overcrowding.
He said: "The journey on the donkey was very hard, I did not think I would survive that, the road was bad and my face was really hurting. I was very happy when I got to the hospital. But they said they had no beds and I was told to come back in a few days."
Many people in Afghanistan did not vote in the recent elections due to Taliban threats.
While eminent Afghan and international figures had encouraged citizens to defy the Taliban and vote in the elections, Mohammed's friends have pointed to the fact that Mohammed was not cared for or given food or medicine following the attack on him.
Malaysia Sun
Monday 31st August, 2009
The Afghanistan Taliban slashed off a man's ears and nose for defying their order and casting his vote in the country's presidential elections.
Lal Mohammed, 40, was on his way to the polling station on August 20th when he was held by Taliban militants, beaten brutally, and then had his nose and ears slashed off.
Mohammed said he had been stopped by three men with AK-47 rifles and bandoliers of ammunition.
He said they did not hide their faces and identified themselves as Talibs.
"When they found electoral registration papers in my pocket," he said, "they began beating me."
"One man sat on top of my chest and got out a knife and I began to feel terrible pain when he slit my nose. I was passing out, but another man was still using knives and there was more pain, I could feel blood all over my face. I thought it was better to die."
The Independent newspaper has reported Mohammed was unable to receive treatment when the main hospital in Kabul said it had no room to keep him due to chronic overcrowding.
He said: "The journey on the donkey was very hard, I did not think I would survive that, the road was bad and my face was really hurting. I was very happy when I got to the hospital. But they said they had no beds and I was told to come back in a few days."
Many people in Afghanistan did not vote in the recent elections due to Taliban threats.
While eminent Afghan and international figures had encouraged citizens to defy the Taliban and vote in the elections, Mohammed's friends have pointed to the fact that Mohammed was not cared for or given food or medicine following the attack on him.
