Afghan 'Little Messi' forced to flee conflict

KABUL－Murtaza Ahmadi moved the world with his love for soccer superstar Lionel Messi in 2016. His dream of meeting the Argentine came true, but now the 7-year-old boy is living a nightmare as one of thousands of Afghans displaced by war.

Murtaza and his family abandoned their home in southeastern Ghazni province in November, along with hundreds of others fleeing intense fighting after the Taliban launched an offensive in the previously safe area.

Now they are among the thousands of similarly uprooted people struggling to get by in Kabul, and also living with the fear that the Taliban are hunting for their famous son.

The image of Murtaza sporting a makeshift Messi jersey－made of a blue and white striped plastic bag and with Messi's name and famous No 10 written carefully on the back in felt-tip pen－flooded media and social networks in 2016.

The story drew the superstar's attention, and that year Murtaza met his idol in Qatar, where he walked out onto the pitch clutching Messi's hand as a mascot for a Barcelona friendly.

Messi, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, also gave his tiny fan an autographed jersey and a soccer ball.

But the moment of happiness has quickly dissipated.

Reporters met with the family recently in the cramped room in Kabul they are renting from another impoverished family, where Murtaza's mother Shafiqa told how they had fled their home district of Jaghori in the night after hearing gunshots.

"We couldn't take any of our belongings, we left only with our lives," she said, her face half hidden by a scarf.

The United Nations says up to 4,000 families fled, with witnesses describing "absolute terror". Hundreds of civilians, soldiers, and insurgents were killed in the fighting.

The fear felt by the Ahmadi family was ratcheted up when they learned that the Taliban were searching for Murtaza by name.

"(They) said if they capture him, they will cut him into pieces," Shafiqa said, her eyes horrified.

Sports were rarely tolerated under the 1996-2001 Taliban regime, and the Kabul soccer stadium was a well-known venue for stonings and executions.

Shafiqa said she hid her famous son's face with a scarf to prevent him from being recognized as they fled.

Although Afghan security forces have beaten back the Taliban in Jaghori, the family said it no longer feels safe. "The danger of the Taliban coming back is high, going back is not an option," Shafiqa said.

The attention they received as a result of Murtaza's fame has added to their fears, she continued.

"Local strongmen were calling and saying, 'You have become rich, pay the money you have received from Messi or we will take your son'," she said.

Murtaza, meanwhile, said he misses his soccer ball and his jersey from Messi. "I want them back so I can play," he said. "I miss Messi."

AFP