The Afghan war lasted from 1979 to 1989. After 35 years, veterans continue to remember those who gave their lives for their country. Kyrgyzstan sent more than 7,000 of its soldiers to the war, of which 300 died, 1,500 were wounded, and 4 went missing.
A correspondent from Turmush in the Issyk-Kul region held a conversation with veterans who share their memories of those difficult times.
Batyrbek Elebesov, born in 1961 in the village of Ken-Suu in the Tyup district, served in Afghanistan for 1 year and 9 months. He was drafted into the Soviet army in 1980. “Conscription into the army was mandatory. I received a summons and underwent two months of training, after which I went to the front at the beginning of 1981. These were the very first years of the war, and we found ourselves in conditions unsuitable for life. We lived in tents without electricity, using oil lamps. The first days were hard: many guys were wounded, some died. In such conditions, I served for almost two years. I hope that there will be no more wars on our land, and that the younger generation will not see what we went through,” the veteran shares his memories.
Cholpon Ismailov from the village of Boz-Beshik in the Jeti-Oguz district was also drafted into the army in 1980. He worked on transporting important cargo in Afghanistan and, together with his wife, raised four children.
According to Ismailov, his service lasted about a year. “We delivered ammunition and food to combat zones. The convoy consisted of 50-60 vehicles with security. Tanks and armored personnel carriers went ahead of us. There were losses, and I myself was in accidents three times while traveling in the convoy. We tried to move quickly, as there was a threat of attacks. Thank God, I managed to survive. I wish everyone peace,” he said.
Joldoshbek Kaliev was born in 1959 in the village of Ak-Olon in the Ton district. He raised five children and served in the army during the early years of the Afghan campaign.
The call to service came in May 1978, and he ended up in the Turkestan Military District, then in the city of Termez, where he served for 1.5 years. “We arrived in Afghanistan on December 25. The first days were difficult: foreign land, different people. At that time, we considered ourselves real warriors, but in reality, we were just young guys. I went to war at 18 and returned at 20. We faced gunfire and losses, experienced stress and sleepless nights. Sometimes there was not enough food, it was cold. Remembering those moments, they seem like a fairy tale,” he recounts.
Stalbek Kaziev served as a peacekeeper during the civil war in Tajikistan. “In 1992, the civil war began, and we were sent there to establish peace. We were only 18 years old, and we understood the risks. More than 100,000 people died in the conflict, and the war lasted 8 years. In 1999, our servicemen were on foreign territory in conditions of cold and lack of clothing. We endured hard days and lost our health. The president restored our status by decree, and now on February 25, we celebrate the Day of Remembrance for servicemen who participated in the Tajik-Afghan war,” he added.
