They fought the Taliban as part of the Afghan National Army. Now under Taliban rule, some former soldiers tell NPR they can’t find a way out of Afghanistan and are working menial jobs — in addition to living in fear of being detained.
Watchdog groups and analysts say the leadership's directives are either not reaching Taliban rank and file, particularly in more remote villages — or worse yet, are ignored altogether.
"For the 20 years the Taliban were engaged in war, there was not much difference between top commanders and foot soldiers," says Nasratullah Haqpal, a Kabul-based political analyst."They were sitting at the same tables, sleeping in the same rooms, and seen as equals and there wasn't really a hierarchy. So now, when the top leadership says something, lower rank and file don't always follow them or care.
One former commando who asks not to be identified because he still fears for his own safety, set his uniforms and documents on fire last year as the Taliban closed in on Kabul and has been in hiding ever since.One former commando who asks not to be identified because he still fears for his own safety, set his uniforms and documents on fire last year as the Taliban closed in on Kabul and has been in hiding ever since.
He feels frustrated that the State Department will only accept a U.S.-issued human resources letter."That's the problem many of my friends and soldiers face," he says.Claire Harbage/NPRA prayer rug sits on a window sill in a location where the ex-commando sometimes stays.They all have recommendation letters from supervisors and American counterparts, he says, but the salaries they earned from the previous Afghan government are costing them a pathway out.
The commando says other Afghan military veterans have contacted him with information on how to join Russia's military. They escaped to Iran and were recruited there, but he says it's out of the question for him.
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