Mullah Cable/Akbar Gul

Akbar Gul is one of three major individuals described in this book. He is first introduced as Mullah Cable, but is referred to by the pseudonym Akbar Gul for the majority of the book.

Akbar Gul came of age in Kabul during the Afghan civil war. After his home and neighborhood were continually harassed by members of a militia fighting in the war, most of his family left the country to live in Pakistan. Wanting to protect himself and his family’s home, Akbar Gul remained in Kabul and joined an ethnic Pashtun militia. Eventually, he became a commander in the Taliban and enforced their strict laws in northern Afghanistan. It was here that he acquired the name “Mullah Cable,” a reference to his predilection for whipping those who violated Taliban law.

When the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001, Akbar Gul originally believed they...