The former police chief of Gereshk district in Helmand, 1st Lieutenant Abdul Raziq Nizami, who has lost his two legs in an explosion in Helmand and is under treatment at a hospital in Kabul, says he is ready to return to the battlefield once he gets prosthetic legs, but insists that there should be peace in the country.

The police commander said he has been injured on duty 15 times during the past 20 years of his service. The last time he was wounded was in an explosion one and a half months ago in which he lost his two legs.Helmand has turned into one of the most insecure provinces over the last few weeks following attacks by the Taliban that are underway in at least three districts.

“We built outposts in coordination with the national army, but we were attacked by the enemy and clashes were underway. Then an explosion hit our tank in which I lost my two legs,” Nizami said.

Nizami says he is willing to return to his duty.

“I will get back to my duty once I am discharged from the hospital. I will resist even if I have half of my body. They (militants) are lying. They will not agree on peace. They are continuing bloodshed,” he said.

“The patient is in good condition and he can get prosthetic legs and can get back to work,” his doctor said.

Nizami, 42, has served as police chief of Gereshk district for six years. He is now the commander of local police in the district.

He has 12 children and three of them are serving in the security forces lines.

“They are talking in Qatar with the hope for peace. On the contrary, the conflicts are ongoing here, our youths are martyred, and families are displaced. This type of peace has no importance to us,” said Abdul Rauf Barak, a relative of the police commander.

Abdul Raziq Nizami is one of the thousands of victims of the security forces who have bitter stories from the war. Nizami says he hopes the bloodshed in the country will end one day.