Watch above: The extended family of a two-year-old boy, who lost his parents and siblings in an attack on a Kabul hotel, hope to give him a new life in Canada.
Nobody expected two-year-old Abuzar Ahmad to survive after last month’s attack on a luxury hotel in Afghanistan’s capital.
His extended family and his doctor thought hope was gone for the little boy, who was hit with five bullets – including one to the head.
He spent three days in a coma after the March 20 massacre at the Kabul Serena hotel, where his father, mother and his two older siblings all lost their lives.
Now, less than a month later, Abuzar defied the odds and has become a celebrity in his homeland.
“Some people in Afghanistan, they call him the iron man,” said his uncle Barshir Mirzad, who wants to bring his nephew to Canada.
READ MORE: Vancouver mother killed in Taliban attack in Afghanistan
Abuzar was having dinner with his family when the attack occurred.
By all accounts, the attack should never have happened: The Serena was known as one of the safest spots in Kabul, if not the country.
It’s a veritable fortress, which makes it an attractive spot for foreign journalists and Taliban fighters alike.
Four young Taliban converts walked through hotel security the evening of March 20, somehow managing to avoid setting off the metal detectors by putting their small pistols in their shoes.
Once inside, they opened fire and killed nine people.
READ MORE: Teenage gunmen waited three hours before attack on Kabul hotel: sources
Three operations later Abuzar is still recovering at the Emergency Surgical Centre for War Victims, in Kabul.
A deep scar on the side of his head marks the most significant wound and doctors had to transplant bone from his leg to his head.
In addition to the head wound, bullets hit him in the chest, arm and leg.
“When I saw him the first time I thought he will not make it,” said Mirzad. “He was in coma for thee days. … I was not very hopeful. But this thing happened. He recovered in 5 days. Incredible.”
Close family ties
Abuzar comes from a large extended family.
The boy’s father was Sardar Ahmad, a well-known Agence France-Presse reporter.
Mirzad, who now lives in the Toronto suburb of Whitby, was his closest brother.
As children they spent all their time together, mostly in their family’s bookstore – the largest of its kind in Afghanistan.
While Ahmad turned to journalism, Mirzad continued working for the family business.
But when the Taliban came to power, bringing with it strict Sharia law, the store, and Mirzad’s family, were censored.
Mirzad was jailed for over a week for selling books the Taliban had banned.
That was enough for Mirzad and he fled to Canada with his young family.
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Ahmad stayed behind, much to his brother’s dismay.
“He was always telling me he will come, he will come,” Mirzad said. “Finally, he agreed with me that he wanted to come. But, unfortunately that did not happen.”
That was six months ago – something Mirzad said will haunt him forever.
Mirzad is determined his nephew won’t suffer his brother’s fate.
Abuzar’s doctors are confident his physical injuries will heal but they’re worried about the psychological toll seeing his family die will have on him.
Becoming part of a new family in Canada
He has asked for his parents, but so far his relatives have deflected the question.
They’ve told him his mother and father are travelling.
The doctors believe Abuzar needs to be around family, when he’s finally made aware of his parents’ deaths.
“We thought Afghanistan would be not right place for Abuzar,” Mirzad said. “And the doctors told us he needs a safe and family environment, which we have in Canada.”
Mirzad said the young boy will become apart of his family, along with his own four children.
Getting him to Canada will be another issue altogether.
Ahmad’s company, Agence France-Presse, has committed to ensuring Abuzar is taken care of.
But, it’s unclear if he’s too young to fly without Mirzad present. If that’s an issue, Mirzad and his family will return to Kabul to accompany his nephew home.
Canadian officials are trying to facilitate the family reunion, he said.
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