Damullah Mohibullah Mowaffaq poses for a photo at his office in Maymana.
Strolling through the town of Maymana, the new mayor seems to inspire goodwill from war-weary voters in the Afghan provincial capital.
But Damullah Mohibullah Mowaffaq had a reputation as one of the top snipers in the Taliban’s ranks, until waging a war for control of the country last summer.
Mowaffaq was appointed mayor of Maymana, capital of Faryab province in the far northwest of Afghanistan, in November, three months after the Taliban toppled the Western-backed government and took power.
He was famous as a fighter, but now his schedule is busy with the day-to-day tasks of the local government – unclogging drains, planning roads and settling disputes. hustle in the neighborhood.
His transformation reflects the broader transformation the Taliban are undergoing, as the insurgents grapple with the management of the territory.
“When I fight, my goal is very specific: to end foreign occupation, discrimination and injustice,” the 25-year-old told AFP.
“Now my goal is also very clear: fight corruption and make the country prosperous.”
‘Ups and downs’
As he strolled through the streets of Maymana, the new mayor spoke to city workers clearing roadside ditches.
Residents of the city of 100,000 have access to complaints and suggestions, added to a growing to-do list.
“The new mayor is young, well-educated and, importantly, from the city,” said his non-Taliban curator, Sayed Ahmad Shah Gheyasi.
“He knows how to treat people.”
Unlike poor, educated rural men like madrassa who made up the ranks and profiles of the Taliban, Mowaffaq came from a wealthy merchant family and grew up in Maymana, where he excelled. in school and sports.
Childhood memorabilia that decorate his office include a certificate from a martial arts competition as well as his high school diploma.
After joining the uprising at the age of 19, he was promoted to command a small unit deployed in the province of Faryab.
Others describe him as one of the Taliban’s most gifted snipers, though he seems reluctant to be drawn into telling war stories.
But on his walk with AFP, he stopped in front of a bullet-riddled house, near the village of Doraye Khoija Qoshre, where his unit once held sway.
Here, he often hid himself, using his rifle to hunt down American troops and honing his reputation as a sniper.
Saifaddin, a local farmer, like many in Afghanistan, said: “He killed an American with his rifle from this house, then a plane came and bombed him.
While it was not possible to confirm Mowaffaq was responsible, in mid-2019 the United States announced a member of its special forces had been killed in fighting in Faryab.
A year earlier, the Network of Afghan Analysts said Maymana was “de facto under siege” due to the “incredibly large-scale Taliban presence”.
Mowaffaq has seen several teammates killed in skirmishes but remains elusive about the horrors he has caused and suffered.
“I went through a lot of ups and downs,” he said.
Unique totem
The United Nations and human rights groups have accused the Taliban of serious human rights abuses since they came to power in August.
The deaths of more than 100 members of the old government or security forces have been blamed on the country’s new rulers, while women’s activists have been arrested and journalists beaten for giving news for their protests.
The Taliban’s ideal of a bushy beard and black turban may obscure Mowaffaq’s face, but in many ways he is a unique totem for their austere ideology.
Nationwide, Islamists have effectively expelled women from the public domain, banned older girls from education, and largely barred people of the opposite sex from entering the workplace.
But at Mowaffaq’s office, female employees are allowed to continue working and a public garden in the city is set aside for them.
Under the first Taliban regime from 1996 to 2001, the veiled burqa was compulsory for women.
This time, the religious police stopped doing the same things – although they ordered women in the capital to cover their faces.
In Maymana mayor’s office, “nobody told us how to dress,” said Qahera, his 26-year-old human resources director, who wears a headscarf that matches today’s dress code. .
The Taliban’s swift takeover of Afghanistan surprised even members of the movement.
Their efforts to run the country are hampered by sheer inexperience, a brain drain, a humanitarian crisis, and pressure from Western powers that have already frozen assets.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the feed provided.)
