One-year anniversary of the deadly Kaj School attack; Dreaming Pilot Shogofa Sadat

Bayan News – Shogofa Sadat, a teenage girl who had not yet turned 20, had lofty goals and faced severe economic difficulties. She was studying for the university entrance exam at Kaj School and was striving to achieve high grades to enter university and pursue her dream of becoming a pilot.

Exactly one year ago today, two suicide bombers attacked the Kaj School in western Kabul. The center was targeted when a number of students gathered on a Friday to participate in a mock exam.

In this event, more than 50 students lost their lives, most of them teenage girls, and over 110 other students were injured, which later increased over time.

This event occurred exactly on the first anniversary of the Islamic Emirate’s (Taliban) recapture of Afghanistan and is recorded as one of the deadliest events in Afghanistan’s history.

The responsibility for this terrorist event, which was claimed by the Khorasan branch of ISIS, belonged to all the victims, who were Shia Afghans in western Kabul. Although some attribute it to ethnic cleansing against the Hazaras, in reality, among the victims were also lovers of knowledge such as Sadat, Qazalbash, and Bayat.

On this occasion, we visited the Sadat family. A broken figure with weak eyes sat in front of us, recounting the pain of losing his daughter (Shogofa). He talked about the hardships she had endured in pursuit of her lofty goals.

Sayed Samad Ali Sadat, Shogofa’s father, said that the family members were not willing for her to go to school that day due to a relative’s wedding, which happened to be on a Friday. Shogofa knew that the night after that day was the wedding night, so she took all the necessary measures to not miss the mock university entrance exam.

According to Sayed Samad Ali’s account, Shogofa asked her father for money for transportation early Friday morning, specifically 20 Afghanis, but neither he nor her mother had it at the time. She went on foot to the Kaj School and never returned.

Shogofa had aspirations to enter university and study specialized courses to achieve her goal of becoming a pilot. To pursue this dream, she had been focused on her school lessons and even taught at another school called “Bareen” in western Kabul to excel in the entrance exam.

However, since the Islamic Emirate took over and schools were closed to girls, Shogofa also took precautionary measures. Her plan was to learn at least one vocational skill if she couldn’t go to university, so she could support her family. She chose the profession of “beautician.”

Now, one year has passed since the tragic loss of Shogofa, and her family members live in the grief of her absence. The pain of Shogofa’s absence weighs heavily on this family.

Sayed Samad Ali has developed eye problems and heart disease. Shogofa’s mother is also under intense treatment, and it is unlikely that any medicine will be found to ease the pain of Shogofa’s absence.