Nazir Ahmad Walizada had defused more than 300 mines before losing his hands in an explosion while on duty and as his family’s sole breadwinner he is today unable to cover the costs of any treatment.

Walizada had been part of a demining team for the Afghan National Police (ANP) in Ghazni at the time of the incident a year ago but now he struggles to make ends meet.

In an appeal for help, Walizada, who has served in the ANP for ten years, called on President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah for help.  

He said he has however returned to work as it is his only income.   

“Doctors have said they can transplant my toes to my hands and it will hopefully work; but I don’t have the money for the surgery; it will cost $12,000 USD,” said Walizada.

According to doctors, Walizada also sustained psychological trauma during the incident.

“I don’t have any option except to go to work for the sake of my two children; they will stop my salary if I don’t go to work; the president must give us time and meet us to listen to our problems,” added Walizada.

Fifteen years of war and violence in Afghanistan has left thousands of Afghans disabled – especially members of the security forces.

Matiullah is another Afghan in the security forces who was left disabled in a blast. He served in the Afghan National Army (ANA) and lost his legs in an explosion in the southern province of Kandahar.

Matiullah now campaigns for the disabled and works for the Afghan Heroes Charity, which was founded by former National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief Rahmatullah Nabil.

“We are searching for all disabled people around the country and will fight for their rights and convey their problems to the responsible authorities,“ he said.

The Afghan government is responsible for financially supporting soldiers left disabled in the course of duty. However some disabled veterans said in some cases, the government has failed to address their plight.