Qamar Gul’s mother, Fatima, had married twice before ending her father, Shah Gul Rahimi, according to a relative of Zabihullah Rahmani. Fatima’s first husband died young of an overdose while working as a worker in Iran, leaving behind a son who is now a police officer. Her second marriage to a local commander was short-lived: she was killed in clashes with the Taliban in the 1990s. Shah Gul, the younger brother of the local commander, intervened to marry Fatima. They had two children together, Qamar Gul, and their 12-year-old brother Habibullah.
In recent years, Mr. Rahimi, who was only 40 years old, assumed the responsibilities of his brother as an elder of the community in Taiwara. He frequently assisted with the Local Uprising militia to defend against Taliban attacks, joining them in their battles. But it was unclear if he was also on the government payroll: the Afghan intelligence agency paid the militias between $ 50 and $ 150 and provided them with ammunition, or if he was just helping out in his role as a local elder.
Residents described him as a staunch fighter, despite having been amputated a hand years earlier.
About four years ago, Mr. Rahimi reached an agreement with a local man from an adjacent village named Mohamed Naeem: Mr. Naeem would marry Mr. Rahimi’s daughter, Qamar, as his second wife. In return, Mr. Rahimi would take Mr. Naeem’s teenage niece as his second wife.
Since both girls were young, they waited two years before making the marriage official in separate wedding ceremonies. Mr. Naeem and Mr. Rahimi had gotten so close that when Mr. Naeem needed a loan of approximately $ 3,000, Mr. Rahimi became their guarantor in a business that gave him the loan.
“Naeem was their son-in-law, and they also got along very well,” said Sebghatullah, Mr. Rahimi’s nephew. “It all turned upside down at once.”
How Mr. Naeem joined the Taliban is not exactly clear. But family and local officials said it happened over the past two years, as his private life began to crumble and he was haunted for his debts.
