While reading the translation, one should keep in mind the note explaining the use of such word for “qassabs”
A local townsperson tells the rather humorous, always ironic, tale of one village's battle with an invading Russian tank. Full of homespun humor that paints pictures of the locals as lovable characters getting on with life in a bad situation. “It was around 5 a.m. that war broke out in a village at a crossroads where nothing ever happens. At first the dogs barked, then explosions were heard… Villagers ran from their houses, scratched their heads, and asked where they could find a bomb shelter.”