SYRIA, Aleppo. 2015. Said Ahmed Hussein, 23, an Afghan prisoner, remains motionless in silence in the al-Shamiya Jibha prison, located east of Aleppo - Syria, May 3, 2015.

On May 3, 2015, I met with two Afghan prisoners held by the Free Syrian Army, Said Ahmed Hussein is one of them. They were held in one of the most precarious prisons in the world, located in Aleppo, a city that lives with the rhythm of bombings. How did this Afghan find himself involved in this war, in a country that is not his?

Said Ahmed Hussein is young (23) but looks ten years older. To escape the misery of his life in Afghanistan, he decided to go to Iran without valid travel documents, hoping to earn money. He was arrested in Iran after having worked for 7 years in building construction in northern Tehran. He was arrested during a raid with 150 other illegal immigrants. Then, the Pasdars (Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution) came and promised him money and residence permits if he would voluntarily to go to Syria (The officer told him he would have to join the war in Syria for two months and promised a monthly salary equivalent to $700). The Pasdars said that no matter what, they will send all of them anyway. So he signed up, as other illegal Afghan workers.

After a short military training in Iran and a long and arduous journey, he arrived in Aleppo. No time to understand what was happening to him. One evening, uniforms and weapons were distributed and he was brought to a building he had to defend at any price with other Afghan fighters. To encourage them not to give up their arms, they were told that the "terrorists" would cut off their heads.
He then heard a loud bang. A bomb had fallen on the building. Among the dozen Afghan fighters in the building, only Said and Murad (his cellmate) survived: the attack was carried out by the Free Syrian Army. That's how he was captured by FSA and taken to prison. As of May 2015, he has been detained 7 months.