Seventeen-year-old Tahir Khan walks with a limp as he guides the public who have gathered on a cordoned-off street in Kabul to show solidarity with him and his colleagues.
The teenager quit his university degree to join a peace march in which a caravan of up to 80 fellow countrymen walked more than 700 kilometres across the stretch of Afghanistan – from the war-torn province of Helmand to Kabul – to demand an indefinite ceasefire between the government and the Taliban group. The 40-day march encompassed all of the fasting month of Ramadan.
The men arrive after an unprecedented three-day Eid ceasefire in which Taliban fighters enter populated city centres to greet civilians and soldiers. But that truce was shattered on Monday as Taliban fighters ended the truce and launched attacks on security forces across the country.
The men who trekked a Herculean distance express their frustration at the collapsed ceasefire.
“We are so tired of war and we just want this to end,” says Mr Khanm with physical exhaustion evident in his voice. His feet are bandaged after weeks of walking on an empty stomach, with just his plastic sandals and a bag of essentials.
The men stopped regularly to spread the message of peace to locals along their route. But that message has not been heeded by the Taliban, which has rebuffed President Ashraf Ghani's offer for a truce extension.
The marchers had invited Taliban members they crossed paths with to join the caravan, but none took up the offer. Despite their frustrations with the Taliban, Mr Khan remains hopeful that one day they will live side-by-side in harmony.
“The Taliban are all tired of war; every Taliban fighter we met wanted the war to end but couldn’t take the first step,” he says. But the Eid ceasefire showed "that peace between both sides is possible. Never before have we seen such an Eid celebration".
Many of the Taliban fighters had not entered Afghanistan's cities for most of the years the country was at war, since the United States invasion of 2001 that toppled the militant group. Afghans now hope that the empathy created by the face-to-face meetings will bring new warmth between the two sides of the conflict.
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Read more
10 killed as suicide bomber shatters Afghan truce
Afghan Taliban angry at fighters' Eid ceasefire selfies
Comment: The Taliban ceasefire and killing of Fazlullah still leave a long security wishlist
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One of the marchers, Bacha Khan, takes to the stage at the gathering and calls on the Taliban to lay down its weapons and talk to Mr Ghani's administration.
“They are not a bad government, we are not bad people,” he says as the crowd cheers him on with chants of "Allahu Akbar", or "God is great".
One of those who has come to the gathering to show gratitude to the men said that he dreams of an Afghanistan like he saw during the Eid holiday.
“The last three days we saw what a peaceful Afghanistan could look like and now we want more of that,” said Idrees Stanikzai, a young activist from Kabul, who was disappointed the Taliban refused to extend the ceasefire.
“I met many of the Taliban fighters when they came to Kabul; one of them was visiting his family in Maidan Wardak for the first time in 12 years. He had tears in eyes with the welcome he received from the civilians,” he continued. “They also want to just live in a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan.”
But for civilians, and the marchers who sacrificed the soles of their feet for their country, the wait for an Afghanistan at peace with itself will go on.
Company%20profile
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RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m, Winner SS Lamea, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m, Winner AF Makerah, Sean Kirrane, Ernst Oertel
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7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m, Winner Morjanah Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,200m, Winner Mudarrab, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The%20specs
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In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Islamic%20Architecture%3A%20A%20World%20History
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Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Name: Greg Heinricks
From: Alberta, western Canada
Record fish: 56kg sailfish
Member of: International Game Fish Association
Company: Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5