Hafizullah fears that thousands of Afghan soldiers and villagers–not to mention U.S. troops–are looking for him. “I’m afraid to leave my house,” he told NEWSWEEK. “If I do, soldiers or villagers will tear me to pieces so they can claim the money.” His troubles began early this year when he fled to his village in Maidan province after the Taliban’s collapse. An elderly neighbor approached him, showed him the leaflet and asked if he was in fact Mullah Omar. “I looked at the photo and it was me,” says Hafizullah. “Now we are even more proud to know you,” the old man told him. Brushing aside Hafizullah’s denials, the man complained that, as mullah, he should be doing more to help the village. Within days, Hafizullah went back into hiding. Now he whiles the days away tending a few apple trees and grape vines near his hideout. He says his family is unhappy living so far from home–and his 5-year-old son still thinks he’s Mullah Omar.
