We visited a Taliban leader's compound to examine his vision for Afghanistan

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Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, a Taliban leader, is Afghanistan's interim defense minister. (Claire Harbage/NPR)

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — On the day a U.S. drone strike killed the leader of al-Qaida in Afghanistan, the man in charge of the country's defense sat down for an interview.

At the time we met Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, many Afghans knew there had been an explosion in Kabul, but not what it was. If Yaqoob knew more, he wasn't saying. He acknowledged "an incident today" but said it wasn't serious. It was 24 hours later when the Taliban said their preliminary investigation confirmed a strike by "American drones."