Word: ehs
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...night in Musa Qal'eh...
...dusk we forded a stony riverbed and a village loomed on the bank. "Musa Qal'eh," said the soldiers, motioning at the village. It was the end of the road; our escorts did not have permission to take us further. We had to enter Musa Qal'eh and hope its commander would guide us further north. We were not expected, and at the blue and white iron gates to his compound our soldiers shouted...
...Haji Abdul is nonetheless from this district, and his ties here show in his stance toward the local Taliban. "All of the Taliban soldiers were from our tribes; they were not criminals," he said, meaning there were no foreign Taliban among them. When he assumed command in Musa Qal'eh one month ago there was no Taliban resistance, despite northern Helmand being one of their strongest centers. The lack of resistance is not because their forces withdrew. "They are still living here," said Haji Abdul. "The Afghan Taliban are our relatives, our brothers and cousins." His men will arrest...
...nightfall we weren't halfway through our bumpy eight-hour slog. The guards we'd acquired in Musa Qal'eh insisted we stop for the night. "It's not safe to go on," they assured us. We argued with them, as time was tight. After much discussion they relented, but only if we would sign a waiver to excuse them in the event of our deaths. At that point we figured if these men were scared there was probably good reason. We agreed to stay. In the mountains the night is bitterly cold, so we could work in our vehicles...
...Reported by Hannah Bloch/ Islamabad, Ghulam Hasnain/ Dabori Valley, Mark Thompson and Douglas Waller/ Washington and Michael Ware/ Musa Qal'eh...