23 January 2011

By Al-Ikhwah Al-Mujahidun

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful. 

Band-e-Sarda, one of the most important dams in Afghanistan, that produces energy and is regarded an important agricultural project, is located between the province of Ghazni and Paktika and belongs to the Andar district of Ghazni.

Nearly half a century ago this dam was constructed on the rivers flowing from the province of Paktia and Ghazni, endorsing agricultural planning and various fruit crops. The farming land has a well constructed irrigation plan which irrigates a spacious agricultural land through paved (cemented) canal system.

Due to the abundance of water and fertile soil, as time passed by the area around the dam became one of the country's known agricultural and forest land. Many fruitful trees were planted along the canals and roadways which resulted in thick forest like greenery in the area. A couple of years before the ‘World Environment Watch' demanded to take measures in order to insure the safety of greenery and water around Band-e-Sarda because the area is a habitat for different birds species.

Unfortunately the Band-e-Sarda's greenery which survived thirty long years of fighting in Afghanistan could not make it through the American aggression in Ghazni province's Andar district. It's been reported by some local individuals on condition of anonymity that the American soldiers have started deforestation of the area and are cutting down the trees which also includes fruit bearing trees. According to some reports thousands of trees have been cut down that were along a 3000 meter highway in Khane-kala, around Nizam Karwal, Sini-kala and many other places in Andar district which puts an end to the greenery in the area and has destroyed the habitat of many living things.

We must say that the above mentioned figures are according to some eyewitnesses, and the Americans are still pursuing this criminal act, and if the World Environment Protection Watch does not take any steps to prevent this crime, more harm might be caused to the greenery of Band-e-Sarda.

The deforestation and destruction of fruit bearing trees by American forces is not only limited to the Andar district, in the past years countless number of trees have been cut down that were along the Kabul Kandahar highway in the areas of Maydan, Saidabad, Ghazni and Zabul. But sadly neither it was reported by any news agency nor was it taken into consideration by any environment protecting organization.

If the cruel operations like ‘the Kandahar operation' and Band-e-Sarda terror continues to happen it might cause a long lasting damage to the beautiful and natural environment of Afghanistan. The natural environment in Afghanistan which has been basically harmed by the use of chemical weapons, years of drought and fighting, such planned and deliberate acts will worsen the catastrophe.