Khader kills the real Sapna

Abdel Khader Khan’s killing of the real Sapna is disclosed as a correction to the story circulating about Abdullah: Abdullah was not Sapna, Khader tells Lin, and the real Sapna is dead. The revelation settles who was wrongly identified, but leaves the killing itself outside the scene and its circumstances unstated.

The Revelation

While Lin is speaking with Abdel Khader Khan, he asks whether the dead man was Sapna. Khader answers no, acknowledging that people say this but giving Lin his word that the man was not. Lin then asks where the real Sapna is. Khader replies that he found him and that he is dead.

Abdullah and the Misidentification

Khader’s answer separates Abdullah from the identity attributed to him by others. Lin recalls having fought a group of Iranian men alongside Abdullah, but regrets that he never asked who they were or why the fight began. The account supplies that recollection as context for Lin’s questions; it does not establish that the men were Sapna or explain the conflict.

Purpose and Narrative Significance

Khader describes the matter as finished for Abdullah, connecting the real Sapna’s death to him without detailing the reason or the method. The exchange gives Lin a decisive answer about Sapna’s identity while withholding the events behind the killing. Its significance lies in that distinction: a rumor about Abdullah is corrected, and Khader confirms that the real Sapna has been killed.