KABUL — Mullah Abdul Salaam Zaeef is a former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan who spent almost four years behind bars in Guantanamo. He wears a black turban, has a thick beard — and is never without his Apple iPhone.
The ultra-conservative Taliban banned modern technology such as the Internet and TV during its rule, but they have boomed in Afghanistan since the regime’s 2001 ouster. Zaeef, who reconciled with the Afghan government after being freed from U.S. custody, says he uses his phone to surf the Web and find his way with its GPS.
“It’s easy, and modern, and I love it,” he says.
Some say the country’s technology embrace could help break the cycle of war. It puts at the tip of a finger many things outlawed by the Taliban: music, movies and games such as chess.
