Through a series of clever manipulations, American trained fighter Aziz became what he most despised in the novel “Green on Blue” by Elliot Ackerman. Aziz joined the Special Lashkar in hopes of getting revenge on the Taliban leader who had injured his brother, Ali, in a mortar attack. Aziz’s work in the military group also paid for Ali’s medical care. As Aziz became more and more wise to the deceitful and political nature of the war, he also became more entangled with the leaders of the various groups involved in the war. When he realized peace would never be reached with the selfish leaders in charge of the war, Aziz agreed to take over the place of a Taliban leader.

Aziz and his older brother Ali were left orphans with few options for a livelihood other than begging on the street after their parents were killed in an attack on their village. Years later, the two boys had found jobs in the city of Orgun as errand runners. A mortar attack on the bazaar at Orgun left Ali a cripple, blowing off one of his legs and his male organs. When Aziz searched for his brother in the hospital he was helped by a military leader, Taqbir, who recruited Aziz to the Special Lashkan. Aziz was promised good medical care for his brother in exchange for his service. He was also promised that he would get the chance to get revenge on Gazan, the man who had injured his brother. As a Pashto Aziz had been taught it was his obligation to get revenge on the man who had taken away his brother’s honor.

Once he began his training and fighting with the Special Lashkar, Aziz learned he was among a group of young men who had been promised the same opportunity for badal, or revenge, against Gazan. He slowly learned that Commander Sabir, the leader of the Special Lashkar, was paying Gazan and giving his men supplies to attack a village in which Sabir wanted to build an outpost. Sabir also commanded his forces to block the roads around that village keeping transports of food and supplies from getting to the people. Sabir would do what was necessary to keep the war going because it was profitable to him.

Meanwhile, Aziz accidentally shot a fellow squad member during a mission. Because it was feared the man’s brother, who was also a member of the Special Lashkar, would try to kill Aziz, Aziz was dismissed from that military group. In order to continue to fund his brother’s medical treatment, Aziz allowed Sabir to talk Aziz into working as an informant. Aziz was to get information on Atal, the leading elder in the village in which Sabir wanted to put his outpost, and relay it to Sabir. As their relationship deepened, Atal told Aziz he was trying to broker for peace between Gazan and the American, Mr. Jack, who worked on the same firebase as Sabir.

During a meeting between Atal, Gazan and Mr. Jack, Aziz realized Gazan was not looking for peace, but for the best monetary situation for himself. It was when he agreed to give information to the American about the actions of other Taliban groups in exchange for more money that Aziz shot Gazan, Mr. Jack and Atal. Believing he had learned from the mistakes of the prior leader of the Taliban group, Aziz agreed to be the leader of that group in the place of Gazan.