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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
World

Elite Afghan soldiers turn barbers, gym trainers in India to escape Taliban

Esmatullah Asil, a former Afghan soldier at the gym in New Delhi, India, where he now works to survive in exile [By special arrangement/Al Jazeera]

New Delhi, India – It is almost 5:40 in the evening. A hair salon in New Delhi’s bustling New Friends Colony neighbourhood is alive with the sound of buzzing clippers and chattering customers. The air is thick with the scent of hair spray and aftershave.

Zaki Marzai, 29, stands behind a barber’s brown chair, his hands moving with precision as he snips a customer’s hair.

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