I was traveling through the mountainous region between Turkman and Pushtun villages in northern Afghanistan when my journey abruptly went off control. I was stopped by Tolibon and forced onto another vehicle. This was the so-called "joint road"—a narrow, hidden path filled with drug dealers, armed groups, and dangerous child gangs. The trip took 3.5 hours for 5 km. I witnessed child gangs hijacking trucks, groups pulling everything from the cargo, constant conflict and violence. I feared I might not survive. Some Tolibon members didn’t understand Russian, others didn’t understand what they were doing. They filmed me and asked endless questions. Amid the chaos I met an Afghan who had lived in Turkey for seven years and spoke Turkish. He took me to his village, introduced me to his family, and hosted me. I learned about Pushtun culture, mountain life, the impact of planting nightshade, economic hardships, and the ongoing blood feud. I saw how Tolibon forced me into various vehicles, observed the smuggler’s route, watched child gangs attack trucks, conversed with Turkish‑speaking Afghans, saw families’ living conditions and the decline of village agriculture, and heard about the ongoing blood feud in the area. This is a true story of survival in one of Afghanistan’s toughest regions.
