Читать книгу BOGUS - Jill Ganger - Страница 7

They drove over the border and across the Afghanistan terrain in the early afternoon. All Amad could see around him were jagged cliffs separated by narrow valleys in between. Soon they were driving through one of these valleys. Rocks were surrounding the truck as they drove. It looked like the rocks were on all sides of them because the valley curved around them. He could see only the crags in front and behind him; there was nothing else.

He stared in amazement and fear as his driver, Tarek, continued on. Amad watched the other boys and saw the same look on their faces as he imagined was on his own. No one wanted to admit that they were afraid, so the five of them sat in silence. Along the road, there appeared to be no signs of life. Occasionally Amad would see a hole in the base of a crag, but he couldn’t see inside the cave because they were driving too quickly.

They drank water from canteens, but the boys rarely spoke and neither did Tarek. After several hours of driving, their driver slowed the truck to a stop. “Time to get out and stretch a bit”, he said. “Perhaps a bite to eat as well. You can go to the other side of that crag to relieve yourself. Do it now; we won’t be stopping again! There is some shade over there if you want to rest and eat. I will give you food and more water if you want it.” Then Tarek disappeared behind the crag, as the boys cautiously climbed out of the truck. They looked around them, but didn’t move far from the vehicle. Two of the boys followed Tarek behind the cliff. They didn’t want the only person of authority to be out of their sight! When everyone had returned, Tarek handed out food to each of them and refilled their canteens from a large jug in the back of the truck. “Don’t wander too far away from this clearing”, he cautioned the boys! “Come join me under the rock in the shade for our prayers and our meal.” He brought out some mats and placed them on the ground in the shade. Kneeling on his mat, he checked the sun in order to face in the proper direction. The boys followed his actions. After prayers they ate and rested for a short time.

Abby and Amad talked to each other nonstop until they grew drowsy from the trip, the food, and their new found friendship. It seemed as if they had just fallen asleep, when Tarek was shaking everyone awake. “Time to continue our journey”, he said. “If we leave soon we should be there in time for evening prayers.” The boys gathered up their meager possessions and jumped back into the truck. Tarek started the engine and the vehicle began to move. Abby and Amad sat next to each other in the rear of the jeep.

“Do you know where we’re going?” Amad asked his friend. Abby shook his head no. “Why are you here?” He asked Amad. “My father told me that I was going someplace where I would become a man – whatever that means,” Amad replied. “My father told me that I would become a Jihadist,” Abby said. “What’s a Jihadist?” Amad queried. “I don’t know either,” Abby said with a small frightened smile on his face. There was silence between the boys for a while as the truck bumped along at a careful speed in the afternoon sun. The jagged crags loomed on either side of them as the jeep careened through the curving valley floor. Shadows caused by the bright sun on the cliffs made the driving dangerous for Tarek and frightening for the boys.

After two and a half hours of exactly the same terrain, the jeep pulled under a mountain overhang and Tarek turned off the engine. “We’re at our final location boys,” Tarek shouted with excitement in his voice. “We’re at your home for the next year. Grab your things from the truck and stay here while I go get the men who will welcome you.” He ran in front of the vehicle and disappeared. The boys scrambled to remove everything from the truck and piled their belongings at their feet as they stood next to the truck.

Three men in army uniforms appeared in front of the truck. They motioned for the boys to follow them. The boys had expected help with their things, but when it didn’t come they struggled on their own. They followed one of the men, and the other two men followed behind the boys. As they walked to the front of the jeep, they realized that there was a huge opening in the mountain. The three men and the boys went inside. As quiet as it had been outside with no visible life around, in the cave even small sounds echoed off the walls of the large cavern. Abby whispered to Amad, “Where is that noise coming from?” Amad shrugged as he looked around the cave while they walked. There were hollows in the walls with lighted candles. The noise was coming from somewhere up ahead. The temperature here was already cooling down, away from the sun. The cave was curving into the mountain, and even though there were not many of them they couldn’t see the front of their group. Amad thought that’s why the two soldiers were in the rear. They didn’t want us to get lost. Everyone walked through the cave until they got to a huge room with round hanging lights suspended overhead that must have been lit by a generator.

Amad and Abby slowly looked around this giant cave. They saw what appeared to be smaller caves opening into this empty space. Amad wondered whether the small caves were formed naturally or were man-made. Abby turned to Amad and shrugged his shoulders wondering what lay ahead of them.

The soldiers stopped at the entrance to one of these smaller caves. The group of boys were directed inside. After walking only a very short distance, the boys discovered what appeared to be carved away sections on either side of this smaller cave. In each of the carved areas were two boards, one above the other. On each board was a very thin mattress. This must be where they would sleep.

"Choose your space gentlemen," said the closest soldier to the bunk beds with a laugh and an emphasis on the word "gentlemen", as all the boys rushed to find a space. "No fighting, at least not yet". Amad and Abby ran for the beds deepest into the cave and the only discussion between the two of them was who would have the top bunk. Amad scampered up to the top and claimed it as his. He liked the feeling of looking down on his friend, and of being able to observe the others in the room.

The boys had left a pile of their belongings in the middle of the sleeping cave. "Now that your spaces are chosen, come back to get your belongings," the smaller of the soldiers told the boys. On the sides of these sleeping areas were small holes carved into the sides of the cave. The boys were told to put their personal items into the hole closest to their sleeping space.

When everything was stowed, the boys were told to line up in the entrance of this sleeping cave, and then they would march back into the main cave. As they exited the sleeping cave, Amad noticed the letters "Hyaya" carved into the side of the entrance to their sleeping cave. They turned left in the main cave and discovered another small cave. They were directed inside. As they stood at the entrance they saw a large hole filled with water. They were told that his was for the ritual daily soaking of the trainees. Not necessarily to cleanse their bodies, but to cleanse their minds, they were informed. Amad and Abby looked at each other with a building fear of the unknown and what was in store for them.

The soldiers then told the boys that they would have to go outside of the cave in order to relieve themselves and they followed the soldiers outside of the main cave. They were shown the designated area and warned that they would be under constant surveillance - as if they could go anywhere!

Morning and evening prayers would be held in the main hall, and meals would be had either at the end of the main hall in the meeting cave, or outside when they were out on their daily maneuvers.

The boys were taken to the back of the main cave for a snack before retiring to their sleeping cave "Hyaya", Once in for the evening they were not allowed anywhere in the depths of the cave. The only place they could go was outside. This was a strict rule - not ever to be disobeyed, they were advised.

Amad went to the hole by the side of his space and pulled out his journal. He told Abby that he planned on keeping daily notes of his time here. He wrote for a short time, then placed the journal under the mattress ignoring Abby. He fell into a restless sleep thinking about what was in store for him.

The shouts woke them up. Amad sat up on his mattress with a jolt, suddenly remembering where he was. The soldiers were standing in the mouth of cave shouting "Get up! Get up! It's time to begin your first day at the camp!” One soldier continued to shout, “You have ten minutes to grab something to eat. Then you will assemble for morning prayers. At the completion of prayers we will file into the meeting room for the orientation. Go to it boys!"

Amad looked down at Abby. They both jumped out of their spaces and ran out to be first in line for food. They were very hungry this morning, because they had been given only a small snack last evening. They thought of the morning ahead of them as they gobbled down their food without a word wondering what was required of them here - what would they have to do to become men?

The boys all marched into the meeting room as they were directed. Paper and pencils were laid out systematically across the floor. The boys were instructed to sit behind a piece of paper.

When all the boys were in the meeting alcove, a soldier stood up in front of them. "I am Jazir," he said. "I am in charge of your instruction. My job is to ensure that when your year here is complete, you will be walking out of these caves as men. Some of you may not make it - you may not last the full year. Those of you who fail will be going home to your families in shame. Do you understand?". Every boy in the room nodded their head. You could almost feel the building sense of fear in the room.

"You will learn many skills here. To learn them well will keep you

alive until you succeed with the tasks that Allah has asked of you.

First you must be proficient in multiple languages. Your dialects

must be perfect to avoid detection. Don't just stare at me boys - take

notes - that's why there is paper.

You must be skilled marksmen and munitions experts. You may not

understand this now, but believe me you will in a very short time.

You must have planning skills. You must be able to work within a

team and complete your tasks with perfection and without

argument.

You must be physically ready to endure whatever is asked of you.

This means athletic prowess and it also means pain. It could mean

death!

Keep writing boys!”

Amad watched Abby without turning his head. Abby was furiously taking notes as the leader had ordered. Abby was worried; Amad could tell by the look on his face. Amad sat up in a more confident position as he pretended to write. Maybe his father wasn't so bad after all. He had demanded that Amad learn to perfection. Amad already knew English and Spanish, but he wasn't sure that he wanted anyone to know this. Perhaps it should just seem that he was a quick learner. Maybe his father had told them about how he had prepared Amad for this experience, but probably not. His father would have known that Amad would figure out his own way to succeed. Maybe they would test them on their language skills before the classes began. If they did, he would make his decision at that point. But for now, he would tell no one, not even his new friend Abby.

At twelve years old he was already a skilled marksman, but his father had taken away his gun and knives before he left for camp. Again he thought about all the promise he would show when he learned so quickly. At this thought he held in a smile. He was bright, educated far beyond his years, and nobody here knew. What a game he would play!

The officer had completed his instructions, and Abby was pulling on Amad's arm. "Classes in the morning starting at 5 AM, do you believe it," Abby said. "Wow, learning other languages should be fun! I don't know about all that physical exercise in the evening though. Won't we be too tired?”"We are here to learn to be men, we should not show that we are tired,” Amad said with a half smile. Of course the exercise had to be in the evening. It was too hot here during the day. They don't want to kill us. Amad thought this was obvious so he didn't bother to say it out loud.

He was wondering what they did for punishment here. There had to be punishment! What would they do if a student disobeyed? What would they do if a student couldn't do the work? He had the scars to show what his father had done for punishment, and somehow he felt that it would be much worse here. If a student failed at the work, they would probably be killed because they knew too much! Amad wondered if the other boys were smart enough to have these thoughts. He doubted that Abby thought about this!

"Come on, Amad - let's go!"

They were to begin with a class in English. Abby was excited, and Amad was quiet. Abby told Amad not to be afraid, assuming that his silence was due to fear. They walked together into another small cave where their studies were to be held. There was a raised area in the front for the teacher but nothing else. The boys entered and sat on the floor. Once everyone was seated, the books, empty notebooks, and pencils were distributed to the boys. An officer entered the cave and walked up onto the raised platform. "I will be your teacher," he said. "You are to call me Teacher!"

Amad already realized how difficult this would be! How would he pretend to be learning? He knew that he couldn't help Abby, not that he wanted to anyway. His main goal was to seem to learn quickly, and show an appetite to always learn more. He wanted them to pick up on his desire to learn. He would be the star pupil, but he had to be very careful! This was to be a great exercise in learning, even if it wasn't exactly the learning that "Teacher" had in mind.

Abby was writing furiously as nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives were explained. Amad wrote some notes in case anyone happened to look at his notebook, and he thought about the education in general. He would observe carefully as the other boys progressed. He would always show that he knew just a little bit more. His writing was just a little bit neater; his vocabulary was always just a few words more.

Spanish class was more of the same. A different officer stood on the raised platform. He also was to be called "Teacher". Amad figured that they didn't want their identity to be known. No names were used, making it difficult for anyone to be recognized. Even the boys had no name identification. They were taught to make eye contact in order to initiate a conversation. Names were unwanted and unimportant here in the caves! To exist without names in itself was a skill to be learned and used later when they became highly trained Jihadists.

Evenings were for physical endurance, and learning survival skills. They barely had time to say prayers and eat, and it was time to work again. He watched as the other boys suffered through sit-ups and push-ups. They were so easy for him, that he exercised quietly after lights out each night so he could stay in condition. The boys had to run around the exterior of the caves each evening, increasing the speed and the number of laps as the days went on. The obstacle course proved to be difficult for everyone. Amad hated the hurdles, but was excellent at crawling under the netting. He was great at climbing the dunes, and sliding down the ropes. Sometimes he forgot to hold back on the physical endurance skills training. His competitive nature would get the better of him. Usually he would just pace himself running around the caves, but sometimes he would just want to win. The obstacle course was always a challenge, which made it fun for him. As much as he hated the hurdles, the challenge of being the best would force him to excel. He found himself climbing the highest of the beginning dunes and climbing faster at each attempt. The other boys seemed to enjoy sliding down the dunes, but he preferred the challenge of the climb. He enjoyed climbing the ropes as well as sliding down. He would always challenge himself to climb the fastest of the group. He had developed callouses on his hands at home from the hard work, making his stamina greater for climbing or sliding down the ropes.

The boys were busy from the time they were awakened each morning until they were in their mattresses at night. No unnecessary talking was allowed during training, so the only time that Abby and Amad spoke was in whispers after they were in their beds. Abby was always worried that he might fail. He was unsure of himself in the language classes, and his physical prowess was lacking. He let his fears overpower him. The more he feared, the more he failed! The more he studied the languages, the more he seemed to forget. It wasn’t that he didn’t try at athletics, he just didn’t have the natural skills. He wasn’t quick and he wasn’t strong. He didn't want to disappoint his father, who had such high hopes for him. He couldn't talk about it to anyone but Amad at night, but Amad didn't seem to want to listen. He wished that Amad would sincerely encourage him and motivate him to keep going, but instead Amad would write in his journal or be in his own world. Sometimes he would pretend to listen, but Abby knew that Amad didn't care! He wasn't really his friend. This made Abby sad, because he needed a friend, but instead he felt more and more alone.

As the year progressed, Amad took more and more pleasure in his game. To his teachers he seemed to improve in a dramatic way; he was the star student in all subjects. As everyone's skills grew, he let himself show more and more of what he had previously accomplished. All the teachers were impressed, and he was sure that word would be sent to his father. As Amad's confidence grew, Abby became more withdrawn.

One morning after prayers, Abby was pulled away from the group. Amad saw him leaving the cave with one of the teachers. Abby was looking directly at Amad as if he wanted some help or understanding. Maybe it was fear! Amad instinctively knew that he would never see Abby again. Abby would be told that he wasn't cut out for this life, and that he was going to be sent home. Sadly by now Amad had learned what happened to the drop outs. Boys had disappeared one at a time never to be seen again. At first he thought that they were home sick or just didn’t like the camp life. Finally he asked a “Teacher” about it. Although he wasn’t supposed to tell, the “Teacher” knew that Amad was at the top of the class and would never have to disappear. He could be trusted with the information. Abby would be told that he had a choice. He could either go home in shame to his family, or he could take his own life in the name of Allah. If he took his own life, his family would be told that he died an honorable death. If he chose to go home in shame, he would be killed and an excuse would be made to his family. Amad was anxious to see if he was right about Abby. Abby had not been doing well in classes. He wasn't athletic enough, and he had come to rely on Amad. Amad disliked him because he was weak, and he wouldn’t miss him. Abby did not return and he would just be glad that Abby was gone.

As the boys improved in their fighting skills, they were asked to test their survival skills in competitions within their group. Their physical endurance training had been just the beginning. They were expected to use their training in multiple martial arts as well as the use of weapons. They learned how to hide knives in their clothing and then use them suddenly and effectively. They learned to shoot guns - from small hand guns to large automatic rifles. They would be given a scenario using all of these skills, and then they would be divided into teams. These weren't games though, they were using real weapons and sometimes blood was drawn. Occasionally a boy would be killed in these maneuvers. These were boys who had not learned their lessons well, or were weak and panicked.

They also had training in explosives. They learned how to make different kinds of bombs using plastic explosives. They learned how to plant the bombs in vehicles and buildings, and they learned to make suicide vests.

Amad was the star student that he strived to be. He excelled in his language studies, He excelled in sciences and math, and he excelled in munitions training and physical endurance. He was the perfect student at the Jihadist camp. It didn’t take him long to learn the meaning of Jihadist — it was all the things that he was learning and then some. It was the “then some” that he didn’t like. He didn’t plan on being a martyr for any reason, but these skills would further his goals. These were great skills for him to learn, but he didn’t plan to die for Allah. He was almost surprised that his father wanted that for him! Abby hadn’t lasted long enough at the camp to learn what being a Jihadist meant — too bad — but at least Abby’s family would think that he had learned!

The hardest thing for Amad was learning to live without the simple pleasures in life. There were no bathrooms here in the camp. He never got to see anyone other than the other trainees and the “teachers”. He had almost forgotten what real food tasted like - perhaps that was what he missed most.

About one third of the boys had “disappeared” by the end of the year. Those that made it through the rigorous program had indeed become men, and Amad was the best of them. He had exceeded everyone’s expectations except his own. He had his own goals in mind even before he had come to the camp and perhaps that was why he had done so well. It was time for the trip home to his family, but this trip would be a lot easier than the trip to the camp. The boys that remained were put in a bus and driven directly to the airport in Mashhad. Some of the boys took flights from Mashhad to some smaller airports in Iran or to Iraq. Others flew with Amad to Tehran. Some of them were met by their parents in Tehran and others, like Amad, flew on to other locations. He was met by Hassan in Tripoli and they drove to his father’s house from there.