Odd jobs: One Afghan's post-Taliban tale

Gone is the turban and beard he wore earlier this year – when he was spying on his former employer, the Taliban. Mohammad Tahir now has a slick new haircut and a mobile phone. But he still worries that he is living on borrowed time.

"When I was home this month in my province, the Taliban sent me word that if they catch me, they will kill me for being a turncoat," he says.

The young Afghan's odyssey – from his post as a senior official for one of the world's most reviled regimes, to a three-month stint as a spy for US Special Forces, to his current job with USA Today – is more than a curious tale of betrayal. It's a telling example of how "enemies" in Afghanistan can become US allies and friends.

Mr. Tahir formed his ties to the Taliban in much the same way many Afghans his age did.

One scorching afternoon in 1984, a Russian helicopter in search of Afghan rebels attacked his family farm in southeastern Zabul Province and fired a missile that killed his brother. The young Afghan was left bitter and opposed to any "infidel aggression" against his homeland.

During the Soviet invasion and occupation, Tahir's family sought refuge in neighboring Pakistan. Tahir was admitted to a top Islamic school in Quetta, where many of his teachers were Arab Muslim missionaries. "They were mostly nice guys, but very anti-American," he says. "They talked a little about Osama bin Laden, and we were told that we should be proud of him for the help he was giving us to fight the infidels."

The family returned to Afghanistan when the Taliban came to power in 1996 and promised to restore stability where feuding warlords had wreaked havoc. Back home, Tahir immediately found work with the Taliban in their foreign ministry, and quickly climbed the ranks to became a respected senior official in Zabul.

But the Taliban's unrelenting enforcement of sharia (Islamic law) and their brutal treatment of women angered Tahir.

So did their contempt for all foreigners. "I kept thinking that they might change their opinion toward the outside world," Tahir says. "I started to realize that they used Islam as a sword to attack their enemies. The day I watched their security officials cut off the hand and foot of a man who had stolen a motorcycle, I finally lost faith in them."

When the US-led invasion last year sent many Taliban officials fleeing from Zabul, Tahir chose to stay on and offer his talents as an interpreter. He quickly found a job in the new governor's office and eventually was assigned to work closely with US Special Operations.

"I had been raised to believe that the 'infidel' Americans were my enemy, but I quickly found out otherwise," he says, recalling long afternoons spent drinking green tea and chatting with Special Operations commanders. They offered him a substantial monthly stipend for any "secret" information he could provide about Taliban and Al Qaeda movements.

Page: 1 | 2