The story of the capture and imprisonment of eight Western aid workers in Afghanistan by the Taliban.

For three months in 2001, the desperate plight of aid workers kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan captured the attention of the world. With the growing specter of U.S. retaliation for 9/11, the Taliban and Osama bin Laden attempted to use their Western hostages as bargaining tools. What the captors did not count on was coming face-to-face with the enduring faith of people who know their only hope was in Christ.

Kabul 24 revisits their grueling interrogations, their sham trials before the Taliban Supreme Court, their peril during the bombing of Kabul, and the crushing sense that the world had abandoned them. It reveals not only the eight Westerners’ 105 days in captivity but also the gauntlet endured by their 16 Muslim coworkers who, after being taken to the notorious Pulicharki Prison, were beaten and tortured, having been accused by the Taliban of converting to Christianity.

Book Review

A very enthralling story, Henry Arnold and Ben Pearson have done a great job in telling the story of the 8 foreign aid workers who were taken hostage in Afghanistan in 2001. I picked up this book, rather hesitantly as Michael W. Smith is featured on the cover as having written the 1 page foreword, a move that probably detracts more than it attracts, but that is just my opinion. As the above description states, it tracks the 24 employees of Shelter Now (SNI), who were arrested, interrogated and incarcerated for 105 days during one of the most tense times in recent American-Afghanistan history.

I was immediately drawn in to the story as the first few pages reveal the reality of living in a country that has limited the role of women to a subservient state. It begins with a vivid description of a women who has been accused of breaking a commandment, which means most certainly a beating, and possibly death. It depicts her journey from being beaten in the streets, to being taken to the soccer stadium, where she is sentenced and beheaded.

This brutal story set the stage and paints a picture of what we can expect out of the Taliban, which had taken control of the city of Kabul, after the Soviets were driven out of occupation. I was most taken aback with the brutality and injustice found throughout the governing body of Afghanistan, as the leaders acted out of fear instead of justice. Fear of torture, imprisonment, and death if they did not act in a way that was expected.

The story centers around the eight foreign workers who were detained, and especially focuses on Georg, a German aid worker who had been living in Afghanistan for 17 years and was the Director of SNI, an organization dedicated to restoring the war-torn cities, villages and families through orphanages, building projects and other business ventures aimed at building the economic stability of the nation. Georg carries with him the responsibility of leading the imprisoned team both spiritually and emotionally as they experience the horrid treatment from the Taliban and the prison wardens. Seeing through Georg’s eyes I felt the weight of his burden and was continually reminded that his dependence on Christ throughout the ordeal was his strength.

The story of the six women, who were located in a different part of the prison, is not as detailed as is Georg’s but the reader is given enough to piece together their unwavering faith and discipline in the midst of brutality and injustice. These women sustained themselves with daily bible study, prayer and singing, using their suffering as a reminder of the suffering found throughout the country, especially in the lives of the women of Afghanistan.

The nightmarish ordeal finally comes to an end in a spectacular fashion after 105 days of imprisonment. This book is a must read, as it shows faith in action and portrays a unwavering love for the enemy in the lives of ordinary radicals.