Caravan of Martyrs: Sacrifice and Suicide Bombing in Afghanistan

291 Pages·2017·2.67 MB·English

by  David B. Edwards

Caravan of Martyrs
sacrifice and suicide bombing
in afghanistan
David B. Edwards
university of california press
Caravan of Martyrs
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Caravan of Martyrs
sacrifice and suicide bombing
in afghanistan
David B. Edwards
university of california press
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university
presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing
scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its
activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic
contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit
www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Oakland, California
© 2017 by David B. Edwards
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Edwards, David B., author.
Title: Caravan of martyrs : sacrifi ce and suicide bombing in Afghanistan /
David B. Edwards.
Description: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2017] |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifi ers: lccn 2016045206 (print) | lccn 2016046541 (ebook) |
isbn 9780520294790 (cloth : alk. paper) | isbn 9780520967823 (ebook)
Subjects: lcsh: Martyrdom—Islam. | Sacrifi ce—Afghanistan. | Suicide
bombings.
Classifi cation: lcc bp190.5.m3 e39 2017 (print) | lcc bp190.5.m3 (ebook) |
ddc 297.7/209581—dc23
lc record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016045206
Manufactured in the United States of America
26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Hakim Taniwal and Naqib Ahmad Khpulwak
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contents
List of Illustrations ix
Preface xi
1 Sacrifi ce 1
•
2 Honor 26
•
3 Martyrdom 47
•
4 Virtue and Vice 72
•
5 Fedayeen 94
•
6 Suicide Bombing 125
•
7 Selfi es 163
•
8 Th e Widening Gyre 204
•
Afghan Chronology (1964–2015) 217
Notes 221
Glossary 239
References 245
Index 255
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illustrations
1. Sheep sacrifi ce, Kunar, Afghanistan, ca. 2015 xii
2. “Caravan of Martyrs” Facebook meme xv
3. Car bomb, Kabul, Aug. 2004 14
4. Afghan mujahid with tape player, Paktia Province, 1984 37
5. Afghan mujahidin with weapons, Paktia Province, 1984 43
6. Victims of Soviet bombing, ca. 1986 44
7. A sangar 48
8. Flags over a martyrs’ cemetery 49
9. Burial preparations 53
10. Afghan mujahidin praying at a martyr’s grave 54
11. Mithaq-i Khun (Oath of Blood) cover illustration 60
12. Sima-yi Shahid (Th e Visage of the Martyr) cover illustration 61
13. Sima-yi Shahid (Th e Visage of the Martyr) obituaries 63
14. Hizb-i Islami meeting, 1986 65
15. Taliban execution, Kabul Stadium, Nov. 16, 1999 73
16. Taliban destruction of the second Bamiyan Buddha, Mar. 2001 83
17. Abdullah ‘Azzam 96
18. Osama Bin Laden 106
19. Abdul Aziz Al-Omari and Muhammad Atta passing through security
checkpoint at Portland, Maine, airport, Sept. 11, 2001 117
20. Afghan madrasa, ca. 1984 136
21. Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi 153
22. Hayatullah Mehsud 164
ix