Peshawar Diary: 'Terror is Ugly. So is War'

Las

t night I watched a CNN replay of a Sunday morning talk show interview with leading U.S. politicians. What I thought I heard from some of the guest speakers was that military effort inside Afghanistan should be strengthened in spite of civilian casualties.

Yesterday, an Afghan colleague working inside Afghanistan reported that local authorities had requested assistance to help meet needs of over 500 civilian families directly affected by bombing raids. They urgently need food. Many need shelter.

Earlier, another IRC colleague narrated details about the recent horrific deaths of several Afghan children killed when they stepped on some landmines. The youngsters were sent by their parents to search for firewood far away from their crowded homes at a displaced-persons camp, because firewood, charcoal (or any fuel) was no longer available; the humanitarian pipeline had been shut down, a consequence from this war on terror.

In another region, the IRC was approached by local authorities and asked if we could help transport severely injured civilians to local medical centers. Reports of many more civilian casualties arrived later in the day.

America's Fund for Afghan Children NetAId International Rescue Committee Oxfam International Red Cross UN High Commission on Refugees

Our staff is responding. After verification, food was arranged for the 500 families. We made sure that firewood was delivered to all the families in the displaced person's camp, enough to last the whole winter and to hopefully prevent anymore-senseless deaths of children. And our ambulance is now running around-the-clock, transporting injured civilians to health centers.

Around mid-day a middle-aged Afghan woman turned up at our office gate. She appeared educated; at one time she probably belonged to the upper-middle class strata of her society. She looked hungry. She appeared desperate. She had a note written in English begging for a teaching job. Two days ago a stray bomb hit her house. Her sister and mother died. She has nobody.

Many IRC staff report seeing increasing numbers of Afghans (new arrivals since the bombing began) in mosques. Hungry children are carried by their parents. There's no eye contact; some shred of self-respect holds them back from asking for help.

I am uncomfortable. Events seem to overtake opportunities to process what's going on, not only on this side of the world but also in the United States. Ground Zero is still smoldering. Memorial services are still taking place. My own family and relatives remind me that they are constantly remembering the September 11th nightmare.

Within such a context, I am finding it awkward to present the facts about how prolonged bombing chips away at innocent Afghans caught in the middle of all of this. However, I am driven to defend basic principles of humanitarian assistance and to be guided by values that I have carried in my heart since I began my career in Uganda over 20 years ago, taking an active role in helping to heal what Idi Amin had destroyed.

Witnessing tragedies day in and day out is painful. Each victim we encounter modifies our personal views. Terror is ugly. So is war.

Sigurd Hanson is director of the International Rescue Committee's refugee aid operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His diary will appear here several times a week. To contribute, see their website or call 1-877-REFUGEE