The Story that influenced me the most

This is a true story, happened to my friend while serving in Pakistan’s War on Terror as a young Lieutenant.

In early 2015, things were intense in Pakistan. The Taliban deliberately hit a School and killed 126 students. For every Pakistani and the Army it was now or never. Our bloods were filled with anger and revenge. It echoed from one corner of Pakistan to another. Army was conducting operation in North Waziristan which was labeled as the most dangerous place on Earth by President Barak Obama.

The topography gave an absolute advantage for the miscreants to grow as radicals, and spread the evil they believe in. Ambushing the patrols were their day to day job, leading to slowing down the Operation

Pakistan Army had an absolute success in conducting operations in different parts of Tribal Areas. However, everyone knew North Waziristan was the most dangerous and the difficult job to an extent one of the former Army Chief believed if Pakistan Army went there, it might be his biggest mistake as a leader. The next Chief believed otherwise and so started the Operations.

This is the time when one of my friend had just graduated from the Military academy. He was posted on the front lines, and after fighting for two months he called me and we had a chat. He described how hard life is for him, his men, and how difficult the weather + topography is to conduct operations.

Everyday Pakistan Army was suffering causalities mainly from Improvised Explosive Devices and Ambushes.

I wished him luck, prayed for his safety and the success of the Operation. Life for me moved on.

After another 4 months, he finally returned, and we sat down. He was happy as once could be, and so told me the reason behind it.

He told me, his one decision changed the fate of the whole valley. Just one decision.

His two senior officials died while on a direct conflict. Now, he was the only Officer. There was no replacement for the causalities his Battalion suffered, therefore he was leading other platoons including his. At this time he had 120 Troops under his direct command. He explained the anxiety he felt realizing he was the youngest officer and could not maintain the level of Operational skills the Valley demanded. However, he was not left with any luxury so he moved on.

One night, he was leading a convoy of total 121 men. They were deep within enemy lines, which meant Cobra gunship protection was not available. The convoy did not have an Armored protection, and they were heavily relying on Night Visions. Turning headlines On would mean drawing attention from the enemy. There were no proper roads and the forever danger of IED meant they were traveling at a speed of 10 Km/hour. At this time he took a bold decision and decided they camp where they are and move when the sun is out.

He told me this was also another dangerous decision, as it could mean enemy can attack you from all sides, and you would have no options left. It also meant 120 lives could be lost. He felt it was the best worst decision out of all the worst decisions available, so he believed in himself and stood firm.

The next morning everyone was fresh and were ready to move on.

So the convoy advanced. At a travel distance of just 2 K/m from where they have set camp, an ambush was setup by the Taliban. Successfully the troops managed to not only survive the ambush but they arrested two of the shooters.

The Taliban were waiting for them the whole night, and if they passed that corridor at that hour of the night, no one would've survived.

Later, the captured Taliban provided enough intelligence about the whereabouts of other Ambushes that Pakistan’s Military Intelligence forwarded it to US Troops in neighboring Afghanistan. This later turned into many arrests, and saved countless Lives.

Site of the ambush. Taliban relied heavily on hiding behind trees.

What influenced me the most is,

sometimes it does not matter how Old you are, how skilled you are, how weak you are, how alone you are, how dark the night is.. What matters is if you take a decision, and stick to it, you can change so many lives.. Always have faith in yourself, and Never back down.

If you look at it, this was a one decision but it echoed so well that many other lives were saved. If he had backed-down that night, wonder many might not be alive today. Including himself.