A feared Taleban commander who fought against British troops until he changed sides has been named governor of the key town of Musa Qala.

The appointment of Abdul Salaam to the crucial job was hailed last night by the Afghan Government, which is redoubling British-supported efforts to persuade Taleban commanders to end their armed struggle.

Officials hope that persuading Mullah Salaam, formerly one of their most ferocious enemies, to “reconcile” will encourage other Taleban commanders to change sides.

It may also help the small garrison of British troops in Musa Qala to maintain security in the face of expected attacks by the new governor's erstwhile guerrilla comrades, many of whom escaped last month after the British drove them out of the town, killing 200 guerrillas.

But the appointment will be opposed bitterly by many anti-Taleban Afghans who fear that the reconciliation process will allow fundamentalists to return to power, at least at local level. It will also put British soldiers in the unusual position of working closely with a man who was pledged to kill them a few weeks ago.

During the ten months when the Taleban ran Musa Qala, a key opium bazaar town in the north of Helmand, Afghans accused of being British spies were hanged in public, and suspected government collaborators were tortured. Heroin was traded openly in the town, and an estimated half a billion dollars of drugs were stockpiled there. Mullah Salaam was an important leader in the town during that time.

Now a very different adminstration has been promised under the newly reconciled commander, with the British Government preparing to spend millions of pounds on development projects as part of ambitious new efforts to win over a disgruntled population who live mostly on opium growing and who have in the past been strong Taleban supporters.

President Karzai's spokesman said: “The President has said before that all those former Taleban who come and accept the constitution, who want to participate in the political process through non-violent means, they are all welcome.” He praised Mullah Salaam for his role in “liberating Musa Qala from terrorist elements”.

Mullah Salaam, a father of 20 by four wives, was governor of the southern province of Uruzgan before the Taleban regime was toppled in 2001. In Musa Qala he commanded hundreds of fighters.

Yesterday the new governor said that the Taleban had been divided for a while in Musa Qala but the majority were behind him.

“There are two groups of Taleban fighters in Musa Qala and I have the backing of the major one. The Taleban who are against peace and prosperity in Afghanistan, I will fight them,” he said.

The appointment comes soon after two senior international officials from the UN and EU were ordered to leave the country by President Karzai, who accused them of trying to negotiate with Taleban commanders in Musa Qala. The expulsion, which was greeted with dismay by diplomats in Kabul, was an indication of the difficulties that may lie ahead as attempts to talk to the Taleban are stepped up.

Afghan government sources have indicated that Taleban commanders may be offered government jobs or be allowed to return to political life if they accept reconciliation. Al-Qaeda-linked hardliners, including the Pakistan-based leadership, will not have such offers made to them, however.

Many Taleban fighters have complained that they have had little choice but to take up arms because they were harassed and hunted by the coalition and by the Afghan Government after the regime lost power in 2001.

Speaking before the appointment of Mullah Salaam, which was an Afghan government decision, Brigadier Andrew Mackay, the senior British officer in the province, told The Times that Afghan efforts at reconciliation will play a vital role in the new counter-insurgency campaign which is now being fought in Helmand.

Brigadier Mackay said: “In every insurgency you want people to reconcile and you have to give them something. Lots of them will want to get out of the fight, it's a pretty exhausting business. The idea is to take the lower tiers of Taleban out of the battlespace rather than fight them. That is surely a pretty good way to go.”

Britain will be supporting such efforts, which may involve Taleban foot soldiers being rewarded with job training in return for laying down their weapons.

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