Word: khademudin
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Dates: during 2001-2001
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...This time we decided to take Khademudin up on his invitation, and go back to Sinjedarrah. Last time we visited him at his rear base, a fairly comfortable house in Charikar, he told us that he would be sleeping on the front line from now on. Well, we found him in Charikar about 9pm, slightly dozy, and probably preparing for bed, He took our request to go to the village in good humor, though without enthusiasm. "Tea," he asked plaintively. No thanks, we said, we need to go. An aide wordlessly brought his ammunition belt, hat, gun, while he stood...
...intervals along the track leading up to the village - he had radioed ahead to make sure that we didn't fall victim to friendly fire. He was very cautious as we drove along the track. We drove without headlights - by far the most dangerous part of the operation, and Khademudin even covered the luminous clock with his scarf. Then a moonlit walk through the village along a narrow Tuscan hill-town lane, (many of the mud houses are three story) to a house with the best views. We clambered up the mud stairs, and just before we reached...
...Along the way to the house there had been a couple of massive flashes and ground shaking crumps, followed by lazy bursts of anti-aircraft guns. Also a more prosaic sight - the headlights of light trucks heading out of Kabul, on full beam. "Taliban," Khademudin said. "They head for the front whenever there is a bombing raid. They feel safer there. The cars were about a kilometer away...
...Khademudin called up the Taliban frequency on his radio, then various members of his squad amused themselves by listening to their conversation, or swapping insults. There was no sign of Taliban disarray. They sounded confident and aggressive. Some of their obscene banter, untranslated by the coy Asadullah ( I beat some of it out of him later) caused bursts of delighted laughter. Finally Khademudin went back on the air for a more dignified and wordy exchange of insults. Again this was largely untranslated, though the Taliban commander, a local, did ask Khademudin why he was a servant of the Americans...
...midnight we had tired of the roof. Khademudin seemed relieved, and announced he would drive back with us. On the way back down, this time thank God with the headlights on, we caught a rabbit in our beams. Khdemudin moved unexpectedly fast, grabbing his AK 47 and bounding out of the minivan, gun cocked. I watched with interest, wondering how much would be left of a bunny shot at close range with an assault rifle. It escaped...