These are pics and stories to Before the Fall, Chapter 2 of Hollie McKay's and my photobook on Afghanistan. Hollie's writing is in the book and this substack is my account and story behind the images.
Hollie and I woke up early and got our bullet proof vest ready and helmets. Afghan Special Forces were to come at 5 am to take us to the front. I had all my camera gear ready and waited by the lobby of the hotel. But they didn't come.
They didn't answer our calls. Maybe it was some lie to make us feel like we were going to do something. It was a no go from Dostum's guy as well. Frustrating times. We heard there was fighting though at the front. We just needed to go there.
One of Noorzai's friends showed up to translate. We said we want to go to the front. We got a cab driver. As we headed up to the front we could notice the people fleeing the fight, taking rickshaws to the centre of the city. We stopped for a moment to film and get witnesses explaining what was happening.
As we got in the cab again, the driver felt uncomfortable to keep on going ahead and we had to go back to the centre. Everyone seemed afraid. The likeability of being killed in cross fire was possibility. We could hear the sound of mortars being used and rockets.
Things seem grim but it was hard to get back to the frontline. We surrendered the idea and went back to the shisha bar. I remember we had such an amazing meal but I remember everything seem deathly quiet. The shops were closing up early and things seem like something was amiss. There was no traffic on the street except some motorbikers
We had shisha and decided to head back. Seeing everything was no deserted we felt something was wrong and we decided to move a little faster to the hotel. When we go there, the security staff seemed super relieved we were back. They told us that the Taliban had won.
The were coming to the centre. They were actually the motorcyclists. The police force, the regular army and the militias had all fled. Either back to Kabul but most had fled to Uzbekistan. We got a message from our Speical Forces commander. He explained he and his 40 men were holding out the front. They asked for back up but no one was coming and so they too had to haul ass.
Fuck.
We were stranded in Mazar E Sharif and the Taliban had won.
Our flight tickets were cancelled. All I could think of was barricade the place. Inside the Ghazanfar hotel was bank and it would be likely the Taliban be interested in looting it.
I worked with the security guards to throw heavy sand bags over the already heavy bullet and bomb proof doors. Our hotel room level we could lock from the inside and hold out on the floor. Hollie decided to camp out in my room so if they could come we would work as a team to somehow find a way out.
My room was close to a fire exit that was estranged from the facility so we had an escape route out if it came to it. I had no idea what the Taliban would do to the left over foreigners but I wasn't one to stick around to find out.
On the roof was the gym and a balcony that overlooked the shrine. All the Taliban were cheering below on their motorbikes with their white flags flying on the back. Some of them rode around like energetic maniacs and a few of them fired guns in the air.
Most of all, they played the religious nasheed music. Holy music. They had won.