«ZUGZWANG OF OBER LIEUTENANT BRUNO THEVS» Page #5

In the cramped oblong space of the hall, Otto sees three fans slowly rotating the blades from the ceiling, driving air flows. People in Afghan national clothes and traditional headdresses are eating and drinking tea on the couch, peacefully talking. On the wall is a large portrait of the smiling Mujahideen leader Ahmad Shah Massoud.

The guests are served by the son of Yakub Khan - ZALMAY, a sporty dark—skinned youth of thirteen with an embroidered kandahari (Pashtun skullcap with a domed slit in front), black wavy hair. Zalman wears a patterned vest over a traditional Afghan shirt (perukhan, an Afghan national costume in the form of a knee-length shirt with trousers).

Otto sprawled on a wide couch resting and waiting for the order to be delivered. Contemplating the street hustle, medieval faces in traditional clothes, brisk market bargaining, donkey and horse-drawn carriage, chaises, carts, a caravan of two-humped giant camels arriving from afar, loaded with huge bales of goods, the noise of incessant street hubbub is heard. Otto takes out the notebook and photographs handed over by Ismatulla, looks at a group photo with six Soviet soldiers. Than puts the photo back in the backpack. He leans back, enters a doze.

Zalmay brings Otto on a tray a sizzling lamb rib kebab, just removed from the grill, a hot tandoor tortilla, a pot of green tea. Otto continues to rest, leaning the back of his head against the wall, eyes closed. Otto, through a doze, hears the measured creaking of fan blades, the clink of dishes, the clatter of bones, the shuffling of checkers "shesh-besh", the multilingual hubbub of tea house guests, the soulful song "Khuda Bowad Yarat" by the cult Afghan singer Ahmad Zahir from the sound speakers.

Otto dozed off.

29. EXT. THE SHORE OF A SMALL RIVER — DAY.

TITLE:
OMAR KHEYL VILLAGE, KUNDUZ PROVINCE.

Two F-15ES fighter-bombers of the ISAF forces appear in the sky, fly over 2 German tankers hijacked by the Taliban and hundreds of civilians of the village of Omar Kheyl, who are waiting in line to fill the tanks with diesel fuel. They are bombing people and tankers. Up to 160 civilians are killed, including women and children.

30. INT. YAKUB KHAN'S TEAHOUSE — DAY.

Otto's nap is interrupted by the loud noise of a low-flying pair of jet planes. The rumble of heavy bombs falling nearby can be heard, shaking the ground.

Sirens can be heard; dozens of ambulances are rushing along the central street past the Yakub Khan teahouse at high speed.

Yakub Khan is alarmed, quickly moves to the exit to the street, looks after the cavalcade of "ambulances". Yakub Khan goes back into the teahouse, deftly adjusts the radio to the news wave, turns up the sound of the radio, listens to the text of the emergency issue. Otto looks at Yakub Khan, YAKUB KHAN is stunned.

OTTO:

(sensing trouble, he asks)

What happened?!

YAKUB KHAN:

ISAF aircraft carried out an air strike in the vicinity of the village of Omar Kheyl.

(mournfully)

They report a large number of civilian casualties.

OTTO:

Where is Omar Kheyl?!

YAKUB KHAN:

Nearby, from Kunduz, two kilometers to the south, then the same amount to the west.

Otto leaves money for food, hurriedly leaves the teahouse.

31. INT. SPINZAR HOTEL. OTTO'S ROOM — DAY.

TITLE:
KUNDUZ. SPINZAR HOTEL.

Otto is sitting in an armchair in his hotel room, watching the news on TV. German TV channels broadcast: "As a result of NATO air strikes in the Chahar-dara district of Kunduz province, more than 100 Afghan civilians were killed."

Otto switched to an Afghan English-language TV channel, where it is reported: "ISAF aircraft carried out an airstrike on the village of Omar Kheyl in Kunduz province, as a result, 70 Taliban and 30 Afghan civilians were killed - there are women and children."

Otto calls the translator Sultan Mukhadi by phone.

OTTO:

Sultan, I need you! We definitely need to go to the village of Omar Kheyl!

32. EXT. SPINZAR HOTEL — DAY.

A taxi pulls up to the hotel with Sultan Mukhadi sitting in the passenger seat in front, Otto gets into the back seat, the car hurriedly drives off.

33. EXT. A WASTELAND, THE OUTSKIRTS OF AN AFGHAN VILLAGE — DAY.

TITLE:
OMAR-KHEYL VILLAGE, KUNDUZ PROVINCE.

Otto and Sultan Muhadi arrive at the site of the airstrike, get out of the car. The taxi remains waiting for them.

Otto and Sultan Muhadi can see the overturned burnt large German tankers, fuel spilled on the ground, fragments of human bodies and clothing fabrics scattered for hundreds of meters.

Otto takes several pictures, looks for eyewitnesses to question, but is prevented by Afghan employees from the ISAF assistance force unit. They are pushing Otto and Sultan Muhadi away from the scene of the tragedy.

Otto returns to the taxi, leans towards the window of the driver sitting at the wheel and, handing over the cash for the trip, makes a request.

OTTO:

Here's the money for the round trip. If we do not leave the village by 20.00, inform the administration of the Spinzar Hotel about it.

The taxi driver agrees.

Otto and Sultan Mukhadi leave, bypassing the site of the airstrike, they penetrate deep into the village of Omar-Kheyl.

Otto and Sultan Muhadi pass by mud-brick dwellings, encounter oncoming Afghans, through Sultan Muhadi's translator Otto invites them to give an interview, but this only causes negativity and malicious remarks. Afghans look at Otto and Sultan Muhadi with hatred and do not want to communicate with them.

At the entrance to one of the dwellings, Otto and Sultan Muhadi find themselves trapped: three Taliban armed with machine guns point the muzzles of their machine guns at them, tie their hands, and capture them.

SULTAN MUKHADI:

(To the Taliban men)

Do you know that this European is a professional journalist, a reporter for a German publishing house?!

He's not a military man!

SENIOR TALIBAN:

(ignoring the question, strictly)

Think about yourself! Pray to the Almighty that your children are not orphaned!

The Taliban take the prisoners in an unknown direction.

34. NAT. WASTELAND, THE OUTSKIRTS OF AN AFGHAN VILLAGE — EVENING, DUSK, NATURAL LIGHT.

A wasteland, the scene of a tragedy on the outskirts of the village of Omar-Kheyl, a tired taxi driver looks at his wristwatch. The taxi driver looks around the area, starts the car engine, slowly moves off, drives onto the highway, and departs.

35. INT. KUNDUZ. SPINZAR HOTEL — LATE EVENING, ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING.

The taxi driver enters the lobby, goes to the counter, informs the hotel administration about the disappearance of Otto and Sultan Muhadi in Omar-Kheyl.

36. INT.OBERST JUNG'S OFFICE — DAY.

TITLE:
TF-47 HEADQUARTERS, OBERST JUNG'S OFFICE.

Oberst Jung is holding a meeting with a group of officers at a long table, discussing the search for Taliban leaders — Shamsutdin and Mullah Abdul Rahman. Phones are ringing incessantly in the office; Oberst Jung is depressed.

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