Bombs, blood and brotherhood: Defusing IEDs in Pakistan

At any time when the mobile phone rings, it be tainted news. An improvised explosive arrangement (IED) has been found, or worse, it has already long gone off. 

The crackled message is relayed on walkie-talkies across Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (KPK) and the males of the KPK Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) spring into action.

Braving booby-trapped devices and centered attacks, the 34-man crew threat their lives to assassinate their explain safer. The hazard they face is exacerbated by underfunding and an absence of kit, with the unit nearly fully reckoning on global donations. 

Bordering Afghanistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), KPK is one in all the regions most-normally centered by armed teams in Pakistan, with 2,a hundred sixty 5 civilian deaths from attacks between 2011 and March 2018.

Here, two BDU officers and their commander part what drives them to create one in all primarily the most unhealthy jobs in Pakistan.

Shafqat Malik: ‘At the gate of the warzone’

Shafqat has been the commander of the Bomb Disposal Unit since 2009. Every yr, he promises his family that he’ll retire after appropriate one extra yr.

‘We’re on the gate of the warzone’ [Armed with Faith]

« I non-public compromised my family lifestyles. And there is a massive gap – now, I’ve started feeling it. However I create no longer need my family to live right here. They’ve been living in a varied metropolis on myth of right here’s a warzone.

Within the early 2000s, infinite armed teams started to characteristic right here in the KPK province. We’re on the gate of the warzone. 

After Eleventh of September, the US started its ‘battle against terrorism’. NATO forces and global forces started struggling with in Afghanistan, and Pakistan modified into coalition companions with them. So, the terrorists started to address Pakistani safety forces as their enemies.

Their aim is to destabilise this country. And offers of us a message: ‘We are in a position to penetrate wherever. You of us are no longer stable.’ Al-Qaeda, Pakistani Taliban – they’re the necessary stakeholders. And then there are a number of native sectarian teams. And to curb all this injury, I non-public easiest one bomb disposal unit. 

We now non-public got to foil their mission. They’re searching to demoralise us but, thank God, we won’t be demoralised. Our unit is unruffled standing, and can unruffled persistently stand right here on this warzone with the of us.

‘We must provide protection to our non-public lives alongside with the lives of others. Bravery is no longer about getting yourself killed’ [Armed with Faith]

Handiest of us that are searching to abet their of us will work for the bomb disposal unit. [The] Prophet Mohammad preached that if you save one particular person’s lifestyles, you save all of humanity. What is frequently a bigger contribution than that?

As lengthy as there is poverty and helplessness and there are breeding areas on hand, terrorists will help getting recruited. I create no longer look a likelihood of terrorism lowering in the subsequent 10 years. Counterterrorism is a lengthy road, it be no longer going to create anytime quickly.

We must provide protection to our non-public lives alongside with the lives of others. Bravery is no longer about getting yourself killed. Fifteen of our officers were already [killed] struggling with this battle. I will no longer address losing one other one in all my boys. Now if somebody is [killed], I will depart this unit. »

Abdur Rahim: ‘We’re shrinking of our non-public of us’

Abdur is an officer in the BDU. His village, in a rural Pashtun community, borders the Tribal Areas. He is under rigidity to depart the unit and secure a extra highly paid job to toughen his younger family.

‘When you assassinate one mistake defusing a bomb, it will be your first and it will additionally be your closing’ [Armed with Faith]

« After I modified into as soon as younger, I modified into as soon as very attracted to showbiz. I could perhaps maybe look motion pictures and hope that, in the future, I could perhaps maybe play the hero in a single. In excessive college, I had a chum that former to consume me to the tv studios and so they started giving me minor roles in some TV dramas.

However my family has persistently been very strict, especially my father. He would assassinate me snort I could perhaps maybe by no blueprint create it but again. I’ve been crushed up over these dramas rather a bit. I will no longer assassinate my fogeys upset, so I non-public positioned a rock on my passion.

In 2009, I in the extinguish left that work and joined the true heroes of the bomb squad.

‘Whenever I’m going out to defuse a bomb, I exact now look my teens standing sooner than me, as if they were blockading my path’ [Armed with Faith]

When you assassinate one mistake defusing a bomb, it will be your first and it will additionally be your closing. We now non-public viewed our chums die with our non-public eyes, we have silent them in plastic baggage and brought them encourage. 

Of us hiss ‘Invent no longer work in the police drive, they’re being centered.’ Each person appears to be shrinking. We’re shrinking of our non-public of us.

Whenever I’m going out to defuse a bomb, I exact now look my teens standing sooner than me, as if they were blockading my path. And I beget about what’s going to occur to them if I die. However I belief their destiny is in God’s hands, so I’m going ahead.

After I sleep in the explain, I dream of bombs. After I am home I center of attention on my wife and children and all my obligations in direction of them. God appealing, I will provide my teens an correct training. Even though Pashtuns create no longer enable it, I factor in women might perhaps unruffled pursue larger training. Things alternate with time, but my Pashtun community does not let stir of traditions very without trouble. 

Many of my chums are going in a single other country to survey for work. And if I gain a likelihood, I could maybe also depart, too. My family needs me to depart this work and my father talked about I could maybe also unruffled stir to Saudi Arabia. There are appropriate job alternatives there and the salaries are additionally very appropriate. I won’t be insecure about blasts going down every varied day. I will be at peace.

I in actuality create no longer are searching to depart the BDU, but what can I create? The scenario is such that I will no longer duvet my family costs or educate my teens on the salary I gain right here. It be a no longer easy decision, nonetheless it must be swallowed like a gulp of poison. »

Inayatullah « Tiger » Khan: ‘We fight with our passion and faith’

Tiger is an officer in the BDU. He has been serving in the unit since 2000 and modified into as soon as awarded Pakistan’s very top civilian honour for bravery for his work.

‘[Attackers] are of us like us. We now non-public let them down … we endure the brunt of their helplessness’ [Armed with Faith]

« I modified into as soon as born and brought up in KPK. I belong to a family of very dinky blueprint. Our college did not non-public walls or a roof. We were taught under the coloration of a tree. However, no matter its shortcomings, it taught me plenty. I modified into as soon as taught morals and appreciate for humanity, that’s made me who I am this day.

Since I started serving with the BDU, we have destroyed over 7,000 explosives. We barely non-public any equipment. We fight with our passion and faith.

As soon as, a suicide bomber tried to blow himself up, but his jacket did not detonate. He modified into as soon as lying injured and I approached him and took his jacket off. I’ve taken so many jackets off suicide bombers. Some are so younger that they place no longer non-public any notion what’s going on on. In some unspecified time in the future, he is asking out to his mother; the subsequent day, he places on a vest and blows himself up in a crowd. 

They are of us like us. We now non-public let them down. They’ve no gain admission to to training. They give the impact of being US drones coming into the country and destroying the entire lot; the strikes abolish teens, women and the elderly. They invent no longer non-public the resources to gain to the actual person flying the drones, but we are interior their cling, we are nearer to them. We endure the brunt of their helplessness. 

I handle my time with my son. However on every occasion I am round youngsters, and especially when my dinky one’s hands are in mine and I am taking part in with him, at that moment, a obvious scene involves my mind. I will no longer overlook it, it is a in actuality painful memory.

There modified into as soon as one blast the place the victims were dinky youngsters taking part in cricket. After I reached the placement, a dinky one covered in blood ran in direction of me and asked, ‘Uncle, the place were you when the blast came about?’ What might non-public been a bigger regret than that? Or a extra unfavorable scene? When you occur to are picking up miniature dinky hands and fingers … on every occasion I survey at my son’s hands, I beget about these hands. 

In this country, even dinky teens don’t seem like spared. There isn’t the form of thing as a put of humanity wherever. »

‘We barely non-public any equipment. We fight with passion and faith’ [Armed with Faith]