For Afghan war veteran and double amputee Sohail Naseri, being able to walk again after a decade is a dream come true.
“It’s an indescribable feeling,” the 31-year-old tells SBS after a physiotherapy session at Sydney’s Westmead Hospital.
“For me, it is a very special moment.”
Naseri is among a group of six men who represented Afghanistan at the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney before they .
They all lost a limb, in some cases two, while serving for the Afghan National Army (ANA) alongside US-led coalition forces, which included Australia.
Sohail Naseri lost both his legs while fighting with the Afghan National Army in 2009. Source: SBS
The five athletes -who competed in volleyball and weightlifting at the annual event founded by the UK’s Prince Harry - and one official, were .
Three of them have since been getting fittings for prosthetics limbs, funded by Medicare.
Naseri was severely wounded when he was hit by a landmine while patrolling with the British Army in Helmand province, south of Afghanistan, in 2009.
He was rescued but lost both of his legs.
“It was a challenging adjustment but the bigger problem was not that I was disabled, it was that there was just no support in Afghanistan,” he says.
“After 10 years, I am learning to walk on prosthetics, it’s like a baby learning to walk for the first time, I know it will take some time but I am so excited.”
Six months on, he and his former teammates have moved out of temporary housing and say they feel very lucky to have numerous support services assisting them every day.
It’s a far cry from last year where they feared they could be targeted by the Taliban for not only being part of the ANA but also for their involvement in the Invictus Games.
Such participation reportedly made them targets of the Taliban, who disliked the Invictus Games’ association with Western-allied foes.
Fellow war veteran, Abdul Wali Ahmadzai is also learning to walk again.
The 25-year-old lost both legs when he was hit by an improvised explosive device in 2013 while fighting.
Abdul Wali Ahmadzai Source: SBS
“It’s been such a great feeling,” he says.
“It’s the first time in six years that I’m able to walk and stand on my feet. I have never felt so relaxed regardless of the initial pain.”
Abdul Wali Ahmadzai as a soldier. Source: SBS
Promising road ahead
Physiotherapist Josip Sulentic, who has been working with the two men, says it will take some time before they will be walking unsupported on their prosthetics.
“Bilateral amputees don't often get prosthetics because the energy requirements to use them are quite high and there is a need for high baseline strength.
“The right candidates also need to be extremely motivated and not many of my patients fit this criteria,” he says.
But Mr Sulentic believes despite being in the early stages, both men have far exceeded his expectations.
“They are working so hard together and encouraging each other and I think in six months, they will be in a great position to be able to do all the things they can’t do today.
“Plus they have a sense of humour too, that’s always good to see.”
Ahmadzai is learning English at TAFE and also hopes to start work soon.
“I don’t have my legs anymore, all I have is my head and I want to sacrifice it for Australia,” he says. 
L-H: Abdul Wali Ahmadzai, Sohail Naseri and Saif-Ul-Rahman Rahmani Source: SBS
Giving back
Saif-Ul-Rahman Rahmani was fitted with a prosthetic leg earlier this year.
He was on a mission with US Special Forces in 2013 when they were ambushed by the Taliban in Helmand.
The 32-year-old’s left leg was severely injured by a landmine and he was shot in his right leg by a Taliban fighter. He managed to escape and was taken to hospital where his left leg had to be amputated above the knee.
Source: SBS
“Before I received my prosthetic leg, my life was half empty.
“Now, I feel so comfortable with my new leg that even when my other foot would hurt, my prosthetic leg would not.”
Rahmani says the Taliban torched his house in Afghanistan three months ago because of his involvement with the ANA. His wife and child have fled to India and hope to come to Australia.
The other men also hope to be reunited with their families.
Saif-Ul-Rahman Rahmani (L) as a soldier in the Afghan army. Source: SBS
Rahmani says he is deeply grateful for his new opportunities in Sydney and hopes to contribute to his new home.
“The Australian people and government have given me the best life,” he says. “I feel safe here.”
“If I could join the military or police or even become a trainer, I am ready to serve at any capacity.”
