Fr David Kenneally: Afghanistan has paid a huge price

Aug 17, 2021

I’m struggling to understand the purpose of the last almost 20 years in Afghanistan writes Columban missionary, Fr David Kenneally. The many lives that were lost and those that were injured or maimed. Afghanistan has paid a huge price. Everyone has.

In neighbouring Pakistan, I knew that the Afghan war was beginning probably before most. The night before two armed policemen arrived at our house to protect us from being attacked. What followed was by any means a frightening time for us and for many people.

Each Columban was faced with the choice of leaving for their own safety or voluntarily stay. A risk assessment was done for those Columbans, lay or ordained, that could not safely exit to another country because of visa restrictions. They were encouraged to go to their home country while it was safe to do so.

I elected to stay with my colleague and for almost a month we stayed indoors and out of sight from the turmoil that was happening around us. We were lucky to have a large garden area to be able to walk around at night when it was hard to be identified in the dark. We set about fortifying our boundaries and adding safety procedures to the faithful who were attending Mass or for school.

All the while listening to the calls of some of the local mosques for young men to go and fight in Afghanistan against the invading forces. Friday prayers were times of great tension as “westerners” were condemned in no uncertain terms for their participation in this coalition. We reviewed our presence there daily along with the parish team of co-workers and catechists. It was always with the question “does our presence here bring danger to the Christian Community or not”.

I had already decided that if we were attacked then I had an escape route and the likelihood of the police keeping people at bay were slim. On one occasion checking in with the Columban Superior General at the time we discussed the situation. “You know Dave,” he raised with me gently, “the Columbans have a long history of not paying ransoms”. I laughed as only one in a tense situation like that can do. I assured him that escape or death was all I had planned for.

Gradually the tension seemed to ease a little and then on one Friday prayer, we heard the local mosque announce how even the Pope was against the war in Afghanistan. That seemed to be a pivotal moment for Christians in my local area. We were no longer seen as the enemy.

The weeks stretched into months and the stories of loss in the local community emerged of the families whose sons had gone to Afghanistan and they never returned. Random attacks on churches increased and literally going to Mass was taking your life into your own hands. The loss of life was immense on all sides.

Afghanistan has a long history of being occupied and freed. Long before the Russian occupation. They have a very large mix of ethnic groups. I remember at the time thinking that war is not the solution. Building a new peace agreement and a new respect for each other is the solution.

A culturally appropriate way of bringing trust and peace so the ordinary hearts and minds of people in Afghanistan can be won over to a peaceful co-existence. A new nation in a way but one with hope for every citizen, male or female.

Now no longer in Pakistan, I am still left with the deep abiding question: What was the point of the last 20 years?

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