Mohammad finds new life in Omagh after fleeing Taliban

ON August 30, 2020, the remaining military support in Afghanistan withdrew suddenly from the country, putting Afghans who helped the NATO coalition forces at risk of Taliban persecution.

Whilst thousands employed by the British Government to support their logistical operations received immediate refugee status, many others were left behind to face their fate within the new Taliban regime.

One such individual is Mohammad Wais Besmal, a former English teacher of seven years for the British Council in Afghanistan.

After nearly three years of evading capture by the Taliban for his involvement with the British Government, Mohammad eventually found his way to the safety of Omagh town.

As part of series of events taking place in Omagh to mark Refugee Week, Mohammed spoke to the UH about his harrowing escape from the Taliban.

“Back in 2013, I was already a teacher and the British Council invited the teachers to receive some training.

“Then, they announced some vacancies, and I successfully applied to be an English teacher in my region to teach students and teachers to level up their English abilities.” said Mohammed.

Teaching through a conflict zone is no easy task, and it was made more difficult due to the ‘enemy’ being your fellow neighbours. Through association with the council, Mohammed became a target for the Taliban, and he recalled a time that really scared him during the conflict.

“I remember in 2015, I was working in the ‘Teacher Training Centre’ in my province. I was the manager in the English resource centre (ERC) for the British Council. The Taliban attacked the building around 5pm with two suicide bombers, and they destroyed the whole building. We were a target, and that’s why they attacked the ERC, because it was a British Council building.”

Though risking his life for the pursuit of teaching on behalf of the British Council for seven years, this wasn’t enough to save him from the shock evacuation in Kabul of 2020. Not only was Mohammed not offered refugee status, but he was not told the evacuation was going to happen.

“We never expected the UK and US to leave – and we were just left behind. When the Kabul Airport incident happened, there was a scheme by the UK government called ‘ARAP’ (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy).

“Some of my colleagues were evacuated through that scheme, but, unfortunately, because of the administration at the British Council during that time, they failed to support us.”

Now, Mohammed had become a fugitive, with his only crime being teaching for the British Government.

He knew that he must hide from the Taliban or he would be killed.

“I am from Kandihar, which is now the Taliban capital of Afghanistan. So, when they took control of the city, I moved to Kabul because it was still controlled by the then government.

“When Kabul got taken over, I moved back to Kandihar, and moved from place-to-place and hid my face because I was at risk. One day I was crossing a checkpoint, and one of the Taliban members recognised me because I trained him, and they arrested me. They hit me in my shoulder, and broke my clavicle bone and then they hit me in the head with the butt of a gun, and I went unconscious.”

Mohammed was taken to the hospital for his injuries, and while there, came up with a plan to make his escape.

“I got in contact with a friend of mine who was working in the hospital, and he was able to get me moved to a different part of the hospital, and I escaped without being recognised by anyone.”

Once Mohammed escaped, he remained in hiding until he got visas from the black market, and returned to his family to escape Afghanistan.

Mohammed said they used the back roads to escape into Pakistan, and from there, he got involved in a scheme called ARAC, which is a settlement scheme for Afghans who aided in ‘democracy, women’s rights, freedom of speech, and rule of law’.

Through the ARAC, Mohammed awaited patiently for his new future away from harm. He was contacted in February of this year by a government worker to tell him that housing was available for Mohammed and his family in Omagh.

By April, Mohammed moved to Tyrone, and this gave the family a fresh start away from a life of conflict.

Now, Mohammed lives in Omagh with his wife and two ‘wonderful’ daughters.

“Omagh is a good place, no problems at all,” he said.

“There are very helpful people who are supportive, and it’s a nice environment with great education for my two daughters.

“It’s a very good place to live. But I do miss my family; I miss my mum, and I wish I could have her here one day.”