Are you worth $100?

Mohammad Ashan believes so, and has turned himself in to a police checkpoint in Afghanistan, the wanted poster in his hand having his picture and name on it.  He demanded the $100 reward, saying that since he turned himself in, he deserves the reward.  My mother would call that chutzpah, and she would be right.  I say pay him the hundred bucks and then, after his release, follow him to see where he goes and who he talks to.  This could be the best Franklin the US ever spent.

From The Washington Post April 17 by Kevin Sieff

Taliban commander turns self in... for reward on ‘Wanted’ poster

Poster; BOLO

Sometimes, capturing a Taliban commander requires vast resources and complex operations. Last week in eastern Afghanistan, it required neither.

Mohammad Ashan, a mid-level Taliban commander in Paktika province, strolled toward a police checkpoint in the district of Sar Howza with a wanted poster bearing his own face. He demanded the finder’s fee referenced on the poster: $100.

Afghan officials, perplexed by the man’s misguided motives, arrested him on the spot. Ashan is suspected of plotting at least two attacks on Afghan security forces. His misdeeds prompted officials to plaster the district with hundreds of so-called “Be on the Lookout” posters emblazoned with his name and likeness.

When U.S. troops went to confirm that Ashan had in fact come forward to claim the finder’s fee, they were initially incredulous.

“We asked him, ‘Is this you?’ Mohammad Ashan answered with an incredible amount of enthusiasm, ‘Yes, yes, that’s me! Can I get my award now?’” recalled SPC Matthew Baker.

A biometric scan confirmed that the man in Afghan custody was the insurgent they had been looking for.

“This guy is the Taliban equivalent of the ‘Home Alone” burglars,” one U.S. official said.

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