Upon seeing foreigners, the Talib, with an unkempt beard and layers of ill-fitting sweaters, ordered us out of the car. For more than an hour, my colleague Bryan Denton and I waited on the trailer floor as he reviewed our documents.
I covered the war as a New York Times correspondent and bureau chief. Now I wanted to see the war from another perspective, to see what lessons and secrets the United States left behind.
Most Talibs had been, if not friendly, at least open to the idea. A few longtime American sources had vouched for us in Kabul, the Afghan capital, with Taliban members they knew.
The guard began recording us with his phone, sending our hearts racing. Almost no recording of a foreigner in similar circumstances has ended well this century.
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