Talib turns himself in for $100 reward.

[Clash Perez]

Sometimes, capturing a Taliban commander requires vast resources and complex operations. Last week in eastern Afghanistan, it required neither.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/ima...EeGrtIOZYQRVAA

The wanted poster for Mohammad Ashan. Mohammad Ashan, a mid-level Taliban commander in Paktika province, strolled toward a police checkpoint in the district of Sar Howza with a wanted poster bearing his own face. He demanded the finder’s fee referenced on the poster: $100.

Afghan officials, perplexed by the man’s misguided motives, arrested him on the spot. Ashan is suspected of plotting at least two attacks on Afghan security forces. His misdeeds prompted officials to plaster the district with hundreds of so-called “Be on the Lookout” posters emblazoned with his name and likeness.

When U.S. troops went to confirm that Ashan had in fact come forward to claim the finder’s fee, they were initially incredulous.

“We asked him, ‘Is this you?’ Mohammad Ashan answered with an incredible amount of enthusiasm, ‘Yes, yes, that’s me! Can I get my award now?’” recalled SPC Matthew Baker.

A biometric scan confirmed that the man in Afghan custody was the insurgent they had been looking for.

“This guy is the Taliban equivalent of the ‘Home Alone” burglars,” one U.S. official said.
Wanted posters are often distributed by NATO forces, but rarely have such a direct impact on the apprehension of an insurgent. In restive Paktika province, civilians are typically afraid to pass on intelligence that might lead to an arrest. And insurgents tend to shy away from the urban centers where they’re being hunted, particularly while carrying evidence of their own transgressions.

Officials have guessed at what the unusual details of Ashan’s arrest might tell us about the state of the insurgency — its desperation, its lack of resources, its defiance of law and order.

But, for now, the consensus has landed on the singularity of Ashan’s act, and the intellectual calculus that led to it.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/ima...EeGXuQyLI1Gu9Q

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...g.html?hpid=z4

[hey]

I hope they gave him his $100.

[Salodin]

For his family im sure =(

[archibaldcrane]

He must've been a really important Taliban Commander to warrant such a high price!

[Indalecia]

To be fair, $100 is worth like 12 million herpaderp jihads there. Its a pretty crazy translation rate.

[BadKarma]

Lmfao. From a terrible war, comes comedy gold. Fucking lost it at the home alone reference

[Viena]

To be fair, $100 is worth like 12 million herpaderp jihads there. Its a pretty crazy translation rate.

[Khajit]

Well did they give the guy his money? Gotta let him have interest accrue in his bank account while he's in jail or that wont be fair at all.

[Celeste]

This man is a hero. I salute him.

[Churchill]

This guy is one of the smarter Afghans too.

[ronin sparthos]

Home Alone burglars? More like this guy is a genius.

What's a little jail time when you have an eternal reward already locked in?

[Khajit]

If they dont give the guy his money the US is stupid. It would have been cheaper to bribe the entire region with 300+ bucks per person than to have the entire military operation to put things in perspective so if they don't pay the guy then some person is really bad at math in the military.

[Patriarch]

To be fair, $100 is worth like 12 million herpaderp jihads there. Its a pretty crazy translation rate.

http://pigroll.com/img/i_lold.jpg

[dejet]

If they dont give the guy his money the US is stupid. It would have been cheaper to bribe the entire region with 300+ bucks per person than to have the entire military operation to put things in perspective so if they don't pay the guy then some person is really bad at math in the military.

You do no the only reason things are as good as they are in the region is because we bought them out lol. They go into towns drop 40Gs on the town *leader* and all is well in that area. So odds are his family very well might get money out of this if they have pull in one of the areas.