The voice of the Afghan human trafficker's conscience:
"I don't know if God will forgive or not!"
arding a private boat crossing the border, Shafiullah called his family to Afghanistan and told them he was ready to go to Turkey.
After the call, 16-year-old Shafiullah boarded a boat. He was one of about 100 passengers that night last June and was one of thousands of men who left their country this year to dream of a better future in Europe.
Shafiullah was entered into the Turkish border, but the smuggler he had paid to take him to Istanbul were crossing Lake Van to escape the police. The water in the lake was dangerous and smugglers could enter it at night.
The large boat they had sailed on had a small boat sinking into the lake. There were at least 32 Afghans, seven Pakistanis and one Iranian. Only 61 bodies could be found and others, including Shafiullah, were missing. Turkish officials have told the BBC that some of the bodies could be buried deep in the ground and they are unlikely to be found.
Minimum four people, including Shafiullah, were killed by a smuggler in Kabul. The BBC contacted the trafficker and agreed to comment on the condition that his identity be kept confidential.
Shafiullah had paid in advance to go to Europe but did not arrive
"Everything is handled by telephone."
Elham Noor (not his real name) has established good relations with other criminals and claims a high level of success in sending people to Italy, France and the United Kingdom.
"The business of humen Trafficking is not an individual business, it is a huge network," he said. We have contacts. Although Noor does not travel with immigrants, she says "everything is arranged by telephone."
Noor has no shortage of customers. Many Afghan people are determined to leave their country. ne of Atherstone is in the world's poores countries.Decades of war have ruined it. According to the United Nations, 2.7 million Afghan people currently live abroad as refugees. Afghanistan lags behind Syria and Venezuela only in terms of refugees and asylum seekers.
So there is no need to advertise Noor. Their customers are expensive. Young Afghans who want to travel often seek out a trafficker who has sent someone from their area abroad.
But only 1% of those succeed in their first attempt, to reach Europe who trying to reach and some do not.
Shafiullah's uncle, Sher Afzal, said the whole family knew the trip would be very dangerous. "We didn't know," he said.
Afzal mourns but it is a rare form of misery in which there is a lack of faith. Shafiullah is not yet available.
Living in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, the family wants to perform the last rituals in the memory of Shafiullah, but they do not have the remains of Shafiullah. The last rites of the two immigrants whose bodies were found have already been performed.
Afzal said: ' We do not expect him to live but we want to see his body.
Those who drowned with Shafiullah and their bodies were buried here
Shafiullah did not see a future in Jalalabad. He contacted Noor and paid the trafficker 1000 as the first installment to go to Italy. They were joined by other refugees and transported by car, truck and sometimes on foot.
Shafiullah crossed into Iran and entered Turkey, but his journey to Lake Van ended shortly after he spoke to his family by telephone.
Noor told the BBC they had returned the money in advance to Shafiullah's family and others because their trip could not be completed. Confirmed Shafiullah's family that they had received the money.
Eight and a half thousand dollars to Italy
Noor said the tragedy had raised suspicions about human trafficking. "When things gone wrong, qhuman life value becomes zero," he said. But it is a very lucrative business, and it is difficult to leave after so many years.
"We were pay them one thousand dollars from Afghanistan to bring it to Turkey," Noor said. Another 4,000 could take from Turkey to Serbia and another 3,000 to Itall
The refugees crossed Lake Van fleeing from the police
And with all that, Noor just has to pick up the phone and talk and transfer money and sometimes bribe the Afghan authorities. They never meet a stranger, except for close friends and relatives. They avoid taking to strangers and rely on their reputation to attract clients.
By Afghan standards, this is a comfortable lifestyle, and with cars, clothes, houses, wealth is obvious.
Noor knows that it is dangerous for immigrants who do not have books to leave. He said in cities like Tehran, Van and Istanbul, they had using secure network housing, they should keep their clients hidden during the day, moving them at night.
Immigrants are advised to carry expensive items such as jewelry
So that the thieves are attracted towards them. Noor usually tells immigrants take maximum one hundred hundred dollars in cash.
Turkey is an important destination for Afghans traveling to Europe, where conditions can range from a week to a few months.
One of the refugees who came to Istanbul to go west was Hazrat Shah, a former Afghan army officer.
When his village came under Taliban control, the 25-year-old decided to leave his unit and leave the country for fear of revenge on his family. He began his journey from Nangarhar in eastern Afghanistan earlier this year and tried to move to Italy.
Shah told the BBC: I was reach Istanbul within one month after crossing the border [between Turkey and Iran]. I stayed there for a few months and worked in hotels to pay smugglers.
Smuggling made Noor rich
The eastern Mediterranean route, which crosses the sea between Turkey and Greece, is particularly suitable for expatriates.
European border agencies estimate that more than 17,000 people arrived in Europe via this route in the first ten months of this year, a quarter of whom are believed to be Afghans.
The journey from Greece to Bosnia is very difficult. Every attempt to move forward failed and the Shah was sent back several times before he could get there.
“It was horrible,” he said. I was also injured on the last attempt. The police beat me badly. They also took our shoes and clothes. Had to come back in the dark. It is very difficult to pass.
Hazrat Shah (right) moved to Italy after the Taliban came to power
'Smugglers can do nothing'
We don't know at this time what he will do after leaving the post. He said that as soon as the problem was pointed out, everything would disappear and he saw a lot of people trusting him.
He said you are likely to die or be injured or be kidnapped at the any stage of journey,”. And no one can help you. Fearing the police could not help them. This is an unpleasant game. "
Shaw said he had been in trouble for months and had seen many people die along the way.
He said: 'You have very little food and water to keep you alive. I have seen people die without water with thirst.Other immigrants can’t even help them because if you give them water you will face the same situation.
Clashes between refugees and police at the Bosnian-Croatian border
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 1,000 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year.
The main reason for this is that in bad weather they often have to travel in crowded boats.
Before reaching the Mediterranean Sea many of them die like Shafiullah and they are not even included in the statistics.
But there is no shortage of those who want to emigrate to Afghanistan. After at least 150 people were killed in a bomb attack near the German embassy in Kabul in 2017, many European countries closed their visa bases in Afghanistan and allowed them to travel to Europe legally. It became to much difficult to do.
As a result, the number of people hired by smugglers like Noor has increased
From refugee to smuggler
Noor once had to face a similar situation. Like everyone else, he once dreamed of living a comfortable life in Britain. He started a similar journey when he was just 14 years old. Her father paid Rs 5,000 to the smugglers.
Noor said: 'I still remember the hardships of my journey. "Especially in Bulgaria, we hid in trains until they was forced to me jump off a moving train."
In the French city of Calais, each refugee who introduced Noor to a smuggler was paid a commission of 100 euros. Thus he became involved in the smuggling business.
Night trip in a small boat
Noor arrived in Britain illegally and continued to work with smugglers. She said when she returned to Afghanistan at the age of 21, she found out that the police were looking for her.
Some expatriates who were able to reach Europe through the Noor Network shared their details with others, which enhanced their network and reputation.
“Despite the uncertainty, people trust me that I can take them out of the country,” he said.
Noor said about 100 people who paid him for a better life are now going to Europe. However he said it was his last consignment. He stated that he was retiring from the business. Shafiullah said he was shocked by the wreckage of the boat, but was aware of the dangers posed by migration.
Shafiullah says his family says sharing his picture will help others
He said:to my family I have apologized to my family many times. I made it clear to them from the beginning that anything could happen along the way. He accepted it. Now God decides whether or not to forgive me. '
Another smuggler who knew Noor said it was difficult for her to leave the profession.
The smuggler said: "People will keep calling him for years to come and he will have no money even after he leaves his because"People will keep calling him for years to come said he smuggler.
Whether it comes out or not, human trafficking will continue. Thousands of Afghans are still desperate for a safer and better life.
A few days after Shafiullah's boat sank, two of his relatives were able to reach Turkey in the autumn. He was recently sent home.
The next time the weather warms up again, these people may try to get out again
😯
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