Afghan president awards 'hero' soldier 'new home' following Taliban attack on parliament
Soldier, named as Esa Khan, was personally commended by Ashraf Ghani
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Afghanistan’s president has given a soldier who defended the national parliament from Taliban gunmen yesterday a new home in recognition of his actions.
Ashraf Ghani recognised Esa Khan’s “resolve and heroism” during a meeting earlier today in the presidential office and reportedly awarded him a “new home”.
Mr Khan was allegedly on-duty yesterday when six armed militants laid siege to the Kabul parliament, killing two people and injuring 31 others – including two women and two children – after a seventh detonated a car bomb outside the building.
All six gunmen were eventually overcome and killed after a two-hour battle.
Details surrounding Mr Khan’s actions remain unclear but social media posts following the attack appear to indicate that many Afghanis are accepting him as a much needed hero following the attack.
It is the latest attack by the Taliban suggesting the nation may be spiralling out of control once again.
Afghanistan’s security forces are facing increasing pressure from the extremist militants following the withdrawal of the majority of Nato troops.
Earlier this week Afghanistan’s United Nations ambassador Zahir Tanin claimed that his country’s security forces were facing an “unprecedented convergence” of Taliban militants.
“Our estimate is that there are more than 7,000 foreign terrorist fighters” in Afghanistan he told the UN Security Council. He added that the commitment of the Afghan soldiers was “beyond question”.
The Afghan National Army (ANA), which has borne much of the brunt of the Taliban’s resurgence, has often been criticised for corruption and inefficiency. A Spectator article in May of this year noted some troops had not been paid in nine months.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments