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CNN Live At Daybreak

Normal Life Exists Amidst Bombing Campaign

Aired October 31, 2001 - 06:22   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: People in northern Afghanistan have grown accustomed to the sounds of war from the guns and artillery fire between the opposition and the Taliban forces. Well, now come the blasts from the Allied air strikes. But inside Afghanistan, amidst all this nerve rattling noise, there are also sounds of, believe it or not, joy.

Here's CNN's Chris Burns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Except for the military fatigues, it's hard to imagine a battlefield is less than an hour away. At his family home in Gulbahar, Shir Ahmed seems a bit bewildered as the center of attention, the groom, decorated and pampered. The children, in a time honored ritual, scrabble for cash scattered around them. Family and friends come to greet the 22-year- old butcher's son. Shir's hopes focus on his country's struggle, the 5-year-old war between the Northern Alliance and the Taliban. "I ask from great god that there will be peace," he says.

The gathering is blessed. "May all faith in the future be secure," the cleric says. Then come the gifts -- a new watch and red henna to dye the hands and fingers of the new couple. The wedding party packs into vehicles for the ride to the bride's family home in nearby Jabal Saraj. The car, too, is dressed up, Afghan style.

Shopkeepers join the celebration and grab what they can to fling at the wedding convoy. The drive to Jabal Saraj a reminder of Afghanistan's long struggle with poverty and war.

(on camera): Despite decades of warfare, people manage to get on with the cycle of life and try to ignore, if only for a day, that a conflict rages around them.

(voice-over): The convoy arrives at the home of the bride, 20- year-old Avida. Her family refuses to let our camera inside, but Avida tells us she met Shir as a temporary refugee after her family fled a Taliban attack.

Outside, a cousin of Shir, crippled by a land mine, while a soldier says he plans to marry soon, as well. "We can't just waste away our lives," he says. "It is good to get married. We can't just halt our lives because the war drags on." The convoy with the couple inside heads back to Shir's family home, where they'll live. The music and dance goes on even if the gunfire persists just an hour away.

Chris Burns, CNN, Gulbahar, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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