1 million Afghans and 15,000 Soviet conscripts died
Fought with American guns

Foreign nations had tried for centuries to conquer Afghanistan
In the 1970's it became a focus for the superpowers

To Moscow, a friendly Afghanistan was important

Afghanistan's new leader looked to the Soviet Union for support
The Soviet Union sent advisors to advance socialism

Land was taken from large owners
And handed to the peasants who worked it

Women were encouraged to stop wearing veils
And were put into literacy classes with men

The reforms were seen to threaten ancient customs
And the authority of the Mullahs

The Mullah says,
"God has decided who is rich and who is poor,
It can't be changed by communists."

Opponents of the reforms
Burned down schools and universities
Resistant grew throughout the country

Iranians joined in
Calling for a Jihad
Against the communists

The U.S. thought
That the Soviets might use the Afghan crisis
To move south
And seize the oil of the Persian Gulf

Meanwhile the Shah of Iran was overthrown
The U.S. lost its most important ally in the region
The U.S. considered the possibility of a Soviet controlled Iran

Carter sent the Mujahideen equipment,
Mostly communication equipment
They were mostly peasants

Recruits for the Jihad walked for days
Across the mountains to reach the fighting

Soviet trained Afghan army
Thousands of men deserted
Kabul requested Soviet troops

Afghan president met with Soviet leader

The Soviets feared the spread of Islamic fundamentalism
Into Afghanistan from Iran
The Soviets felt they had to send troops to stabilize the region
Moscow hoped they could complete their mission in weeks

Moscow had Amin assassinated
They didn't like him talking with the Americans

At the United Nations
The invasion of the Soviet Union was condemned

The Soviets began with large sweeps
Their approach was a disaster
Mujahideen remained in the villages
Guerilla fighters remained in the mountains

Reagan stepped up aid to the Mujahideen

The Mujahideen were spilt along tribal lines
They sometimes fought each other

A war fought with our gold
And their blood
According to CIA man

The U.S. viewed the conflict in Afghanistan as an internal
Cold War struggle
The U.S. provided assistance to anti-Soviet forces
Through the Pakistani intelligent services

The Red Army changed tactics
And took to the air
Soviet commandos
Dropped in by helicopters

Soviet aircraft bombing indiscriminantly
Village after village pummeled into oblivion
Then overrun by Soviet troops
The village men who refused to join the Afghan army were murdered

Thousands of civilians killed in Soviet atrocities

The mujahideen attacked Soviet convoys
2,000 Soviets died each year
The war seemed pointless to the Soviet soldiers

The mujahideen favored sabotage operations and assassinations
The Stinger missiles were effective for them as well

Reagan said,
"To watch the courageous Afghan freedom fighters
Battle modern arsenals with simple hand-held weapons is an inspiration to those who love freedom."

The war lasted almost a decade
The early foundations of al-Qaeda
Were allegedly built on relationships
And weaponry that came from billions
Of dollars in U.S. support for the Mujahideen

Scholars have argued that Bin laden was outside
Of CIA eyesight
And that there is no support for the claim
That the CIA funded Bin Laden

The Mujahideen fight for their way of life
They simply want to practice their religion
Follow their religion
And live in peace

The Soviets have no right to invade
And tell them how to live

Rocket propelled grenades
Were effectivey used at the Kandahar pass
Soviet tanks were sitting ducks
They met their end

Guerilla fighters
Walk and fight in the mountains
They mastered the ambush

The Battle of Arghandab
The Soviets attacked
An entrenched Mujahideen
The Afghan government forces often defected to the resistance

Some Soviet aircraft
Were shot down by Stinger missles
Provided by the U.S.

The Russian people were lied to
About what their military was doing there
They were told they were nation building

The war caused around one million civilian deaths
And the emigration of 5 to 10 million Afghans

to our forefathers;

who fought for our rights for golden years

who bled for peace even before we were born

who screamed for our freedom for decades

who died and dedicated their lives for the future and welfare of the Bangsa,

THANK YOU.

the tears of the mothers, the widows and the orphans will now turn into joy

the flowers will bloom in the battleground of the blood and sweat of the Mujahideen

the scars of the bullet wound from the past will now heal

to the survivors who continued the fight;

the war is over, you can now rest and start over.

no more running, no more hiding.

you can now take the streets and dance with your grandchildren without worries.

no more guns to carry, only pens to write new beginnings

this time, a beautiful one.

tender stories to me told
of  yet  another conquest
far so bold
I see their lined faces
not so old,
intensifying heat in
eyes that are cold

I shall always be in love with my Mujahideen
the most courageous man
I have ever seen
wild  beats of heart
they have come to mean
colorful bursts of  flowers
to match fields
that are green

faith to survive
the rule of the hand
praise for the songs
that echo in the sand
fighters whose children
were born for the land
take away the pain that
comes with the brand

I see his wings preparing
for a flight
I see his glow consuming
in the night
eclipsing the sorrow
and the terrible fright
My Mujahideen stands
supreme in the light

disclaimer: i had to change the title, the original was... arsenal of "nukes" / morse code conceptualisation of sudoku - but i had a stunning revelation at the end of this verse.

-------------------------------------------

what?! me order indian take away?! what do you have me for, a ****** charlatan? americans have their arsenal of nukes, the russians have their arsenal of nukes: me? i have my arsenal of indian spices! beat that: yoo muvva faa'kers! (you know, said as that chinese guy says it, in the first hangover movie).

i.

finally! i found the holy grail of the indian cuisine,
not so much a website that has all the recipes,
rather: it's a dictionary of all the various
curry broths... cook4one.co.uk -
one you have the lingua coquus -
the lingo of what's what - mind you -
i'm like a "mujahideen", in that i know
only singled out words of "arabic"
and am convinced that i'll be bilingual
to fully embrace the jihad,
although i'm neither, hence the inverted
commas,
  let's just say: i overshot the mark,
and landed in india, and am not recreating
a chemical experiment:
thinking - **** me, a bit humid 'ere,
in goa?
  so the mujahideen's arabic is like my
sanskrit...
but then again: i abide by culinary,
rather than theocratic nouns -
  and i'm already bilingual -
i pity those english monolingual
cripples who went off to syria, i really do,
might as well chop off their tongues:
and sit them in a wheelchair,
and teach them arabic in sign-language...
these "warriors of allah" are nothing
but a ****** farce... if you going to fight
for a cause like that: at least speak
the ****** language...
  or, as the english say: go back home!
good point, born in poland, but living
in england for 23 years...
where's home?
           wait wait, let me get my copernican
compass out...
      well... you'd be glad to know:
my home is in the bermuda delta -
****** keeps spinning like a sufi dervish.

anyway, today of all days, two curries,
turmeric infused rice (yellow, always
nice to spot canary maggots),
and? JAH PAAAA TÍ!
**** the difference in flower...
  what was i using?
   chakki atta (pilsburg group) -
so soft, so tender, so mmm: yom...
  last week i messed the dough:
******! you pour in the warm water gradually...
thank god i saved my reputation
as the curry boss of the household...
and as i usually do with dough...
treat it like a punch bag, can't be bothered
kneading the dough, so i punch it.

the curries? ooh... beauties...
for one it was cayenne pepper rather than
chilli powder...

garam masala in both,
which i had to made from scratch...
do you really add turmeric and omit
adding cinnamon? i can't remember.

the first? (oi oi, 'ere comes my "mujahideen"
lingo in sanskrit)
  a passada chicken curry... almost a korma
but not quite...
     i just remember bashing
raisins in the pestle & mortar, adding almost,
not using any tomatoes,
   inviting chicken stock... etc. etc.

the second curry? a chicken saag -
the etymological derivative being?
   saag: a general term for tender green leaves
(such as spinach)...
    walking into an indian kitchen is probably
more intoxicating than walking
into a parisian perfumery,
                         or a jewish bakery;
said what i had to say, and that's that.

ii.

now, could it really have been a day when
i wouldn't have attempted, yet another,
reconceptualisation of a sudoku puzzle? no.
began as usual:

6 4 1 2 3 7 9 5 8
3 5 2 8 6 9 1 7 4
9 7 8 1 4 5 2 3 6
8 3 4 9 7 1 6 2 5
5 6 9 4 2 3 8 1 7
1 2 7 5 8 6 4 9 3
7 1 5 6 9 4 3 8 2
4 8 3 7 1 2 ι Δ ε
2 9 6 3 5 8 7 α 1  (ι = 5, Δ = 6, ε = 9
                           and α = 4 -
total? 24, the number of letters
in the greek alphabet,
as there are, hours in the day:
no wonder people back then
conjured up a "year 0" -
which actually makes the modern
day stoners, looks extremely
lazy when it comes to whacky
ideas);

but that gave me the idea of trying
another interpretation of this
japanese phone-book...

  how about morse code? to visualise
things... and how the numbers
lodge themselves in the 9 x 9 x 9 (729) box...
i see this 2D puzzle as 3D, oops...
so it came about - yielding the pen and
original zenith of concept, the hashtag (#)...
   (algebraic for end pin-point + insertion):

1a. | | − x
   1b. − − | y

     2a. − − y
   2b. | | x

     3a. − | x
   3b. |  − y

4a. □ − |
4b. □ | −
  4c. □ | |
4d. □ − −

  which begs the question...
    why would you need to invent braille...
if you already had the morse code?
  
at certain events people are competing
in spelling matches... so...
isn't the morse code a lot easier than
braille?! eh?!

i mean, god really is playing chess,
when he's reading braille...

−− −−− ·−· ··· · | ·· ··· | · ·− ··· ·· · ·−· |
− ···· ·− −· | −··· ·−· ·· ·−·· ·−·· ·

       don't you think?
and to think: a drunkard conjured this up;
ah... smoke 'em while ye got 'em.

The Lion of Panshir
United different ethnic groups
Uzbeks and Turkmen
People from Kandhar, Paktiyah, and Jalalabad
Under the Northern Alliance

He went to try to negotiate with the Taliban
He said they were "In a different world"

The Taliban are not Muslims
They are murderers and thugs
They do not serve Allah

The Lion of Panshir and the Mujahideen
Defended his native homeland from the Taliban

The Taliban could not enter the Panshir Valley
10,000 Taliban were slayed
By the Mighty Lion of Panshir and his forces

The mighty lion went to try to negotiate with the Taliban
He said they were "In a different world"
Death to the Taliban

May God continue to bless the ancestors of the mighty lion of Panshir
And the people of the Panshir Valley
The true followers of Allah
The Most High God

100,000 people gathered
For the funeral of Ahmed Massoud
Great leader, Loving father, Proud warrior
They built a musem in his honor

Your spirit lives on Ahmed Massoud
Allahu Akbar!
God is greatest
And you were one of His greatest servants

Always in danger, his life on the line
Death being ever present in this land
They sent him here to defend his country
Thus is the life of a US soldier

The native peoples in this dying land
despise his presence; his merciless work
Thus is the life of a US soldier

His woman leaves him lying frozen, and
forgotten on an Afghani mountain
Thus is the life of these US soldiers

Bullets unleashed by the Mujahideen
cause American blood to mix with the mud;
the same blood that covers the young medic’s hands
Thus is the life of a US soldier

The mortar lands only a few feet away
and the boy becomes apart from his legs
Thus is the life of a US soldier

While the sergeant is screaming
               Return Fire!
A private cries out for his distant mother
Thus is the life of a US soldier

Eventually their tour comes to an end, and
they board the plane that is pointed towards home
yet fifteen seats are empty; no soldiers
               will use these seats to return home this day.
Thus is the life of a US soldier

Having done their job, they can rest for now;
rest until they are sent back to the land
they have so rightly named “the nation of death”
Thus is the life of a US soldier

The plane soon lands; the men will stand, anxious
to lay eyes on their forgotten homeland
Thus is the life of a US soldier

He will exit the plane and she is waiting
but she won’t be able to recognize him
because the scars on his face disguise him;
his sunken eyes betray his identity
Thus is the life of a US soldier

Another warrior weeps as he hugs his wife
and she hands his daughter into his arms;
he holds his infant for the very first time
Thus is the life of a US soldier

Twelve months later the men will board that plane again
and leave the land they have sworn to defend
Thus is the life of a U.S. Army Soldier.

War, the battle calls my name
Consuming eternal flame
Kuffar where is your shame
By the Mujahideen you will be slain

Mujahid! Mujahid!
Dar al-Harab cannot rest
For Allah and the martyrs
The Ummah cannot be deserted

I'm Matt
And I do as I please

Thousands and thousands
Of hours

Human condition
Downloaded

20th century history
Downloaded

I'll tell you
What "I do"

I read books
And take notes
And learn about history
And other societies

I'll tell you
What you do

You watch the television
And water the lawn

That's what you do

I've had enough
No one tells me
To do anything

I have images

Of Mujahideen warriors
Driving out the Russians
To defend
Their way of life

And while others fight
To defend their way of life
I will fight to defend my way
Of living

It will be a war with words
I am a man of Tao

You do not tell me
To do anything

Whoever "you" are

You have a lot of nerve
Suggesting that I get
A part time job
On the weekends
To pay my bills

I'm a substitute teacher
That means working
Two days a week

I have no intention
No intention
No intention

Of ever teaching full time
Of ever teaching full time
Full time teachers don't make much
Anyhow

And they dedicate 50 hours a week
To what they do

I have too many interests
I like to read
And hike

There are too many
Beautiful things to see
Mother

As I drive
Drive around

Get away from the TV

This nation is in trouble

I will not work part time
Over the summer

You will pay my bills

If you want a war
Bring it on!

You can't picture a time
When our society has collapsed
When we are eating canned goods

When the shipments sent
To the markets are infrequent

I can, I know
I know
That our country is in
Some trouble

And no
I won't work
Part time
For a minimum wage

Because
I do As I Please

If that makes me selfish
So be it

I hate this environment

And I don't give a s*

There are no jobs

I do not care

Flee Flee

Flee to the mountains

Away from these old Americans

And their pills

And their television

To the mountains




Like the Mujahideen

Hiding In the mountains and side valleys
An existence not too different from
A people used to living in hardship

To distract public attention from
Ongoing investigations,
Trump is on an overseas trip
Cementing international relations.

First stop: Saudi Arabia,
Where President Trump stamped his seal
On a one-hundred-ten-billion-
Dollar war weapons deal--

A deal great for jobs, they say,
And a death blow to the mujahideen.
Basically, it's a huge boost
To the mighty, monstrous war machine.

War crime violations continue
As Saudi bombs frequently strike
Hospitals and markets in Yemen
Causing the number of deaths to spike--

Deaths of innocent civilians including
Children. Children! What's going on?
Jobs so that the war monger
Conductor can wave his deadly baton?

We turn our heads when the Saudis commit
Domestic abuses and NOT in small scale--
While they carry out mass executions
And put women drivers in jail.

No, this isn't the first "deal."
Such deals have happened before.
Money is often the siren luring
Humankind to weapons and war.

This to Trump is a great plus
So he can proudly play the hero.
If anyone is keeping score:
Trump one; humanity zero.

-by Bob B (5-21-17)

Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires.
What a fitting name!
Countries that try to conquer it
End up leaving in shame.

THREE TIMES the British tried
To tame the unruly land,
And THREE TIMES they left it because
Things didn't go as planned.

In fact, 1919 is considered
Independence Day.
That was the THIRD time that the British
Invaders walked away.

In 1979 the Russians
Tried to make it their own,
Which eventually became
Another cause to bemoan.

The U.S. helped insurgent fighters
Called the mujahideen
Fight the Russians. Maybe it wasn't
Wise to intervene.

The Russians left in '89.
Their goals had dissolved.
After the 9-11 attack,
The U.S. got involved.

In just a few months, the Taliban
Were brought to their knees,
But U.S. foreign relations are often
Lacking in expertise.

The U.S. devoted ninety percent
Of its efforts to Iraq.
Soon in Afghanistan, voilà!:
The Taliban were back.

We heard about Russian bounties
On U.S. soldiers, no?
Payback for what the U.S. had done
Forty years ago.

And so the story goes on and on:
For 20 years we fought
An ongoing war in Afghanistan,
Which finally came to naught.

Four presidents can share
The blame for what occurred.
To put all the blame on one of them
Would be completely absurd.

And so, regarding the Graveyard of Empires,
The world remains perplexed.
Will other countries make the same
Mistake? Who'll be next?

-by Bob B (9-24-21)