Kabul // A bullet struck four-year-old Ezadullah in the stomach. Maysam, 12, was wounded in the leg. Both are collateral damage in a war that last year killed or wounded nearly 11,500 Afghan civilians, according to the United Nations.
The statistics have names and faces at Kabul’s Emergency Hospital where, among curtains and blankets, wounded bodies tell a tale of nearly continuous violence, increasing again after nearly four decades of conflict waged against the Afghan population.
“I was on my bike,” said Maysam ruefully about being in the wrong place at the wrong time on January 10. “I was going to collect my school books when I was hit.”
He was one of 78 people wounded when twin Taliban blasts struck near the Afghan parliament in Kabul that also killed at least 30 in a rush-hour attack.
Ezadullah, crying and whimpering in the hospital despite cuddles from his 13-year-old brother, was at home in his village of Logar when a stray bullet hit him on January 22.
Afghanistan’s conflict took a particularly high toll on children last year, with the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (Unama) recording 3,512 casualties – 923 deaths and 2,589 injured.
It is a 24 percent increase from 2015 and the highest number of child casualties recorded by Unama in a single year since it began issuing its annual casualty reports in 2009. Unama’s human rights director Danielle Bell said children disproportionately represented in the annual toll.
“I’m not surprised,” said Dejan Panic from the Italian NGO Emergency, which runs the medical facility in the capital.
“The disaster is escalating,” he said. “We had 3,400 admissions last year of which 30 per cent were aged 14 or under.”
In 2016, children comprised 86 per cent of all civilian casualties caused by the detonation of explosive remnants of war, making it the second leading cause of child casualties after ground engagements.
“The IEDs [improvised explosive devices] are becoming more and more powerful,” said Mr Panic, who has spent seven years in Afghanistan.
“In 2010 we saw a lot of open wounds. These days we’re seeing people arriving with both legs blown off and their abdomen severely damaged.
“It’s not strange to have to carry out two or three amputations and five or six specialist surgical procedures at the same time on the same patient: vascular, plastic, abdominal.
“Unfortunately, the Afghans are getting better in the worst possible way,” he said. “These homemade bombs are made from soap, gunpowder, fertilisers made from ammonium nitrate – everything that can easily be found at the bazaar, more powerful than factory-made mines.”
Quoting one of the Afghan medics at the hospital, he said: “Sadly only the dead see the end of war.”
* Agence France-Presse
On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE
Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Fixtures
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Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now