Meanwhile, interesting stories of those onboard the airplane continue to come out. Faruk Aktas, IHH representative to Asia and Bahattin Yildiz, aid coordinator of IHH in Afghanistan, right before boarding the plane to Afghanistan, had a short chat with Adem Ozkose, a reporter of Gercek Hayat magazine in Fatih, Istanbul. Adem Ozkose reports that Yildiz seemed very excited and happy during this last chat. He also states that Yildiz mentioned of death as if he was never going to come back and spoke about how we should not build emotional bonds with the transient worldly things and should be ready for the arrival of the unavoidable end of this life. Faruk Aktas had decided that he needed a car for his handicapped son’s frequent visits to hospital and he postponed his Afghanistan trip for a week to sit for his driver’s license test prior to his departure. Mustafa Oflu, one of Aktas’ close relatives accounts that Aktas said “I always wished that we could travel together with brother Bahattin. Now my wish has about to come true. I am so happy.”
Bulent Yildirim, President of IHH, said “Our friend Faruk’s dream has come true. Allah has made them travel together and they are still together in their unending journey.”
Yesterday in Patani, Aktas’ and Yildiz’s funeral prayer was performed in absentia.
Journalist Turan Kislakci, Aktas’ fellow student at Pakistan’s University of Islam, talked about Aktas, “He was such a calm and friendly person. He would never hurt anyone. He grew up as an orphan. He worked in gathering support for orphanages. He was on a trip to Afghanistan for buying land to build an orphanage on. He lost his life working for this cause.”
Kislakci also talked about Bahattin Yildiz, saying that “He has already dedicated his life to help Afghanistan. He wrote books about Afghanistan. A lot of Afghanis know him. His book called “Gullerin Vedasi” (Farewell of the Roses) is about the fighters in Afghanistan.”
Afghanistan lost two sons
Ahmet Igbal Yoldas, President of Hedef Association, a partner organization of IHH, and its Foreign Affairs Officer Aynuddin Yoldas were also on board the crashed airplane.
Ahmet Igbal Yoldas was born in 1982 in Tahhar province. He studied Law at Kabul University. He was also working as an lecturer at the Military Academy. He was single.
Aynuddin Yoldas was born in Tahhar province as well, in 1977. He was in his junior year at Kabul University. He has chosen Literature as his major. He is married and has a one-year-old son named Muhammed. He spoke 7 languages. Those who know him say “Afghanistan lost a great son”.
Ahmet Igbal and Aynuddin were cousins. Their families are also waiting in vain for the news to arrive from Salang Pass where the plane crash is thought to have taken place in.
