In a country that is at war and teeters on the brink of chaos, the killing of another public official in Afghanistan hardly made the news, and it was reported much like a rush hour traffic accident:
An Afghan city mayor has been killed after an explosion struck his vehicle as he returned home from work in the east of the country, police say.
The fatal attack on Sakhi Amirullah Amiri occurred in the city of Khost on Tuesday.
"The mayor has been killed. Two of his nephews and two civilians were wounded in the blast," Abdul Qayom Baqizoi, the police chief of Khost province, said.
But this death was anything but routine, for I have worked with Mayor Amiri, and I knew him as one of the most honest, hardworking, and intelligent people I had ever met.
Mayor Amiri had worked for CARE International previously. Then, believing that he could best help his fellow Afghans by serving as Mayor, he accepted an appointment as Mayor of Khost, a job that would pay him far less and endanger his life far more than working with an NGO.
He certainly knew the danger—Pakistan is only a few miles away, and suicide bombers and IEDs have become relatively common. A suicide bomber had made it to the gate of city hall 18 months ago killing some city workers, and surely there were numerous other attempts over the past months.
But Mayor Amiri never talked about the danger. Like most public officials here he just had to live with it, believing he would be safe, Insha’Allah. What he did talk about was the need for trash collection in the City, the need for drinking water, and the need for electricity. He would call me or email me, always seeking ways that he could make the lives of the citizens he served just a little better. I always laughed that he was just like a lot of other Mayors I had worked for, always trying to find a way to make things happen. Most often he was successful.
In many ways, what was so abnormal about Mayor Amiri was that he was so normal. I got to go out one day and see him in action, and citizens would come up to him and make requests. He would discuss the problem and then promise to try to find the answer. He was like so many mayors and managers, just out doing his job—except that for Mayor Amiri, just doing his job required incredible bravery each day.
He was a small man with an easy smile. His intelligence could be seen in his eyes, which could dance with delight and burn with intensity. He was relentless in his determination to make the lives of people better.
The picture of him at the top of the page, with Khost spreading out along the valley is how I will remember Mayor Amiri. He took such great pride in the city, in its people, and in his country. He loved serving the citizens of Khost, and in the end he gave his life for them.
An Afghan city mayor has been killed after an explosion struck his vehicle as he returned home from work in the east of the country, police say.
The fatal attack on Sakhi Amirullah Amiri occurred in the city of Khost on Tuesday.
"The mayor has been killed. Two of his nephews and two civilians were wounded in the blast," Abdul Qayom Baqizoi, the police chief of Khost province, said.
But this death was anything but routine, for I have worked with Mayor Amiri, and I knew him as one of the most honest, hardworking, and intelligent people I had ever met.
Mayor Amiri had worked for CARE International previously. Then, believing that he could best help his fellow Afghans by serving as Mayor, he accepted an appointment as Mayor of Khost, a job that would pay him far less and endanger his life far more than working with an NGO.
He certainly knew the danger—Pakistan is only a few miles away, and suicide bombers and IEDs have become relatively common. A suicide bomber had made it to the gate of city hall 18 months ago killing some city workers, and surely there were numerous other attempts over the past months.
But Mayor Amiri never talked about the danger. Like most public officials here he just had to live with it, believing he would be safe, Insha’Allah. What he did talk about was the need for trash collection in the City, the need for drinking water, and the need for electricity. He would call me or email me, always seeking ways that he could make the lives of the citizens he served just a little better. I always laughed that he was just like a lot of other Mayors I had worked for, always trying to find a way to make things happen. Most often he was successful.
In many ways, what was so abnormal about Mayor Amiri was that he was so normal. I got to go out one day and see him in action, and citizens would come up to him and make requests. He would discuss the problem and then promise to try to find the answer. He was like so many mayors and managers, just out doing his job—except that for Mayor Amiri, just doing his job required incredible bravery each day.
He was a small man with an easy smile. His intelligence could be seen in his eyes, which could dance with delight and burn with intensity. He was relentless in his determination to make the lives of people better.
The picture of him at the top of the page, with Khost spreading out along the valley is how I will remember Mayor Amiri. He took such great pride in the city, in its people, and in his country. He loved serving the citizens of Khost, and in the end he gave his life for them.
1 comment:
Ugh...that's awful. Really sorry to hear it. People like him are few and far between.
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