Inside the world of an ex-jihadist Afghan warlord

Ex-jihadist warlord Haji Mohammad Almas Zahid laughs during an interview at his office in Kabul.

The interior of Almas' home in Kabul, top left, is decorated with a riot of colors, patterns and glitzy furniture.

Almas' main bodyguard, right, sits on a sofa at the former Afghan army commander's home in Kabul. Almas worries that his team of 20 bodyguards may not be sufficient to protect him. "The risk is always high. I need at least 50," he says.

A vehicle from Almas' fleet leaves his Kabul compound.

Portraits of Almas sit on a nightstand in his bedroom. "Every day of my life is like a book," he says. "If I told you what really happened, you wouldn’t believe me."

Almas is building a massive compound in the fields of Parwan province. The complex is known to villagers as "The Palace."

Boys in a classroom at a school built by Almas in Parwan province. He says that he has paid for the construction of separate schools for boys and girls.

The interior of a new mosque in Parwan. Almas says he has spent over $1.75 million of his own money building a mosque, madrassa, medical clinic and two schools.

Constituents wait to meet with Almas at his Kabul office.

Almas, right, meets a tribal elder at his office in Kabul.

Almas' head of security, second from right, stands with a group of armed guards outside his Kabul office and residence compound.

Two of Almas' sons listen while their father gives an interview. One is a doctor, the other a lawyer.

"I've got a lot of bullets in my body," Almas says as he points out his scars, souvenirs from a life spent fighting.