KABUL, Afghanistan -- Abdul Salam Rocketi clearly is running for office. The man named for his ability with a rocket launcher now welcomes photographers and shows off his daughters. His black beard, once long and bushy, is trimmed close. He smiles often.

The Islamic cleric hardly seems like his former self: a feared Taliban military commander.

"It does not matter," said Rocketi, 48, shrugging and sipping green tea. "My history and background are known to people. When I fought against the Soviet Union, when I was with the Taliban, everyone knew I was serving people. I never hit anybody. I never took money from anybody. Everyone knows this."

In one of the stranger twists of the young Afghan democracy, several former members of the ousted Taliban are trying to return to power by running for elected office. There is no Taliban political party, no Taliban platform. But at least five former Taliban members have signed up to be candidates in the Sept. 18 election to fill the country´s new 249-seat parliament.

These men, all considered relative moderates, have renounced the Taliban insurgency. They are trying to change their country by winning office as independent candidates.

A former Taliban foreign minister and a former deputy interior minister have signed up to run. They are granting interviews and appearing on television, although such cameras were not allowed under the Taliban.

"My supporters and I do not want a strict system of Islam like the Taliban," said Mohammed Khaksar, the former deputy interior minister. "I know the government we have now is an Islamic government, it is an Islamic state. But it still needs a few repairs."

Khaksar, 50, the only Taliban government official to remain in Kabul when the regime collapsed in December 2001, declined to specify what those repairs were.

All five former Taliban members are running from southern provinces seen as former strongholds of the Taliban and the Pashtun ethnic group.

Although the candidates said their Taliban credentials could help them, they did not plan to dwell on the past.

"Being a Talib will not play an important role in winning," said Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil, 36, the former Taliban foreign minister, said in a phone interview. "My past reputation will help, I can say that. But the people of Afghanistan think more about the present."

Muttawakil, who surrendered to the U.S. in Kandahar in 2003, was held at a U.S. base and then placed under house arrest in Kabul. He was freed recently. On May 18 he declared he was running as a candidate from Kandahar, as is Khaksar.

True test coming

Afghanistan is struggling to rebuild itself and set up a democracy after 23 years of war and 3 1/2 years of relative peace. The challenges are stark: The central government controls little of the countryside. Taliban insurgents are waging a guerrilla war in parts of the south and southeast. Drug traffickers move heroin and opium throughout the country with apparent ease. Criminal gangs threaten the capital.

Although the country successfully elected a president last fall, many see the upcoming elections for parliament and provincial councils as the true test of Afghanistan´s democracy and security. Not only are former Taliban members running. Former warlords reportedly have signed up.

Officials with the Joint Electoral Management Body emphasize that anyone who meets the conditions can run for office: Parliamentary candidates must submit 300 signatures. They cannot be criminals and cannot be linked to an illegal militia.

In June and early July, candidates will be evaluated to see who qualifies for the final ballot. Many Afghans worry about who will be allowed to run. Most warlords and former Taliban members, for instance, are considered by many to be criminals but never have been convicted of anything.

"Afghans are not happy with these people," said Rahmat Baig, who lost his left leg when he stepped on a land mine during the country´s civil war. "Both the Taliban and the fighters during the civil war brought a dark time to Afghanistan. They defamed our religion."

Other Afghans welcome the candidates from the Taliban because they believe former Taliban members should rejoin the government and help rebuild the country.

"They have the right to nominate themselves," said Abdulrazeq Karimi, 18, a student. "We should defend the rights of all citizens of Afghanistan."

In all likelihood, these five ex-Taliban members will become advertisements for the country´s new reconciliation program, which aims to bring Taliban fighters back from the mountains and into the arms of the new Afghanistan. Dozens have accepted the offer, but many insurgents continue to fight.

If men such as Rocketi and Muttawakil are allowed to run for office, other Taliban fighters may see this as proof they will be safe if they surrender.

Rocketi said many former Taliban members just want to be safe like he is, living at home with their families. He said he has tried to persuade many to work with the government instead of fighting it. He figures people might listen to him, because they know his history.

A different man

He once fought against the Soviet occupation, which ran from 1979- 1989. After the Taliban won power in 1996, he became the top military commander in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

When the Taliban fell, Rocketi fled to his home province of Zabul in the south. He said he was held by U.S. and Afghan forces for more than eight months before being released. Now he lives in Kabul with his four sons and three daughters.

Despite being held by U.S. forces, he says he supports the troops´ presence in Afghanistan for the near future. Otherwise, Afghans would kill each other, he said.

He refers to the Taliban remnants as "the opposition" and occasionally as "crazy." He complains about them using the mountains of Zabul province as a base.

Rocketi sounds like any politician anywhere when he talks about his campaign: He wants tighter security, better schools and more jobs. He talks about the good things from the Taliban. He knows that could help him in his campaign.

"People have some good memories from that period," he said. "Security was good, and corruption did not exist. Those are the things that could help me a lot." ---------- kbarker@tribune.com (Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune 05/28/05)