Heavily armed Taliban members wait by a checkpoint
BBC: Afghanistan: 'We have won the war, America has lost', say Taliban
Driving to Taliban-controlled territory doesn't take long.
Around 30 minutes from the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, passing large craters left by roadside bombs, we meet our host: Haji Hekmat, the Taliban's shadow mayor in Balkh district.
Perfumed and in a black turban, he's a veteran member of the group, having first joined the militants in the 1990s when they ruled over the majority of the country.
The Taliban have arranged a display of force for us.
Lined up on either side of the street are heavily armed men, one carrying a rocket propelled grenade launcher, another an M4 assault rifle captured from US forces.
Balkh was once one of the more stable parts of the country; now it's become one of the most violent.
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WNU editor: There are a lot of people in Afghanistan who hate the Taliban. Victory is not going to be as easy as they like to think it will be.
