Every morning, just after dawn, the first of a group of dignified, luxuriantly bearded Afghans go into a flower-filled garden bounded by a spring-fed stream and open their Korans. Later they pray and eat breakfast, nodding solemnly to the bedraggled foreigners who wander outside. This serene setting is in fact part of the defense ministry of the United Front. Only two things give any hint of the place's real purpose: the crackle of radios and the comings and goings of officers--Bismullah Khan, the overall commander for the area, said to be in intense negotiations with Taliban commanders who want to defect,...
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