In Ghazni province an hour from capital Kabul, Afghan army lieutenant Mohammad Wali admitted to the newspaper that he and a local Taliban commander were working together. (The Sunday Times operates behind a paywall)

“We lost seven men in an ambush when I first arrived at the base,” Wali, who commands 18 men, told The Times. “So I thought, why risk my life when there’s another way?”

The two share intelligence about military operations and plan to loot Nato supply convoys and divide-up the proceeds, the newspaper reported.

Wali told the newspaper that he met the local Taliban chief in a bazaar, where the two agreed a ceasefire and plans to ambush NATO convoys on the Kabul-Kandahar highway.