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Three years after he had recovered from his wounds, Farwan Shallah collected his sons and they made their way to the outskirts of a town called Kohat. It was late afternoon, but the family had been traveling by jeep for only a few hours. The N55 Indus Highway led to a secondary road that entered the Federally Administered Tribal Area or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A few dirt roads later they came upon a complex of single-level cinderblock buildings facing Tanda Lake. The buildings in the complex were painted a light brown, not coincidentally the color of the dirt that surrounded the buildings.
Farwan gestured for his sons to follow him. The boys jumped out of the jeep and walked toward one of the buildings that looked identical to the others. Two Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistani soldiers guarded the entrance. Both carried assault weapons and wore desert fatigues. They did little more than nod at Farwan as he entered the building with his sons in tow.
Inside, several men sat around a table planted in the middle of the room. One of the men looked at their guests, smiled, stood, and greeted Farwan.
“As-Salaam-Alaikum,” (Peace be unto you) the older jihadist greeted Farwan and shook his hand.
“Wa-Alaikum-Salaam,” (And unto you peace) Farwan replied in a low and raspy voice. “You are looking good, Rahim.”
“Sounds like you need some water, my friend,” Rahim said.
Ignoring the suggestion, Farwan turned his attention to introducing his sons to Rahim.
Farwan told his sons, “This is my old friend, Rahim. He is going to teach you everything you need to know to become a soldier of Allah. This camp is filled with men like you. It is a training camp where you will learn the things you need to know to survive in this new world.”
Zain felt proud when his father referred to him and his brother as men. Up until this time, even though they hunted and did many tasks older men preformed around their old encampment, he had never thought of himself as a man.
Rahim extended his hand in friendship first to Zain then to his younger brother, Naveed. Rahim was a tall, fat man. He had a full black beard that hung well below his neck. Like the other men they had seen at the camp, Rahim was dressed in military-type desert fatigues.
“Oh, yes,” Rahim exclaimed, shaking his hand in mock pain. “A very strong grip. Your sons are well on their way to becoming very strong soldiers for Allah.”
The younger of the two boys, Naveed, silently questioned why Allah needed soldiers at all. After all, He was a powerful God, and they were just boys. Well, men now, apparently, as far as his father and the man named Rahim were concerned. Naveed wondered what Allah’s soldiers did for Him. What could mortal men possibly do that Allah himself couldn’t do faster and better?
“I’m sure you are tired and hungry after your long journey,” Rahim said. “Let me show you to your quarters and then you can join me for some food.”
Farwan thanked his friend and they followed Rahim out the front door.
The sun was beginning to set. Lake Tanda was on fire with yellow and pink hues. The boys had never seen a lake or an ocean before. The lake was so big they imagined an ocean would look like this, but on a larger scale.
“Can we go see the lake?” Naveed asked his father.
“It’s getting late.” Farwan said. “You will have time to see the lake tomorrow before your classes.”
“Classes?” Zain questioned.
“Yes,” his father confirmed. “You and your brother, starting tonight, will be living here. Rahim and his men will teach you everything you need to know to join me when I go on my missions. You both are now men, and men have responsibilities.”
The boys looked at one another, reading each other’s thoughts. The cave was the only home they had ever known and their mother had always been there to greet them at the end of the day. This news about staying at the new camp was unnerving—even scary to Zain and Naveed. Their father didn’t seem to notice. He appeared very happy.