-——Note that the Taliban commander’s left hand index finger is folded...——
Interesting observation.....
Very un-natural way to hold your hand flopping it over a shoulder.....it must have been done on purpose....
A signal.
The usual didactic expression of an Islamic cleric/ expounder of ideology is to point the finger upward, as if to say “BIG POINT HERE”.
Now, maybe, this signal is... “LITTLE POINT HERE”.
Or
“I can’t make a big point here, lemme make a little one, this dude with me is a little playa in a bigger scheme”.