Abdul Qayyum Zakir
Mohammad Yaqoob (acting) | |||||||||||||
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Personal details | |||||||||||||
Born | 1973 (age 50–51) Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan ) | ||||||||||||
Branch/service |
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Rank | Commander | ||||||||||||
Unit | Sayyid Ala ud-Din Agha 203 Mansoori Corps | ||||||||||||
Commands | Deputy Chief of Army Staff Head of the Military Affairs Commission (until 2014) Panjshir Brigade (since 2022) Andarab Regiment (since 2022) | ||||||||||||
Battles/wars | |||||||||||||
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Abdul Qayyum "Zakir" (born 1973), also known by the
Zakir joined the Taliban movement in 1997 and took part in the Afghan civil war. He held the positions of deputy army commander, northern front commander and minister of defence for a short period during the first Taliban government of Afghanistan.[8] Following the United States invasion of Afghanistan, Zakir surrendered to US forces and was interned in the US Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.[9] He was transferred from US custody to Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Afghanistan, from where he was later released.[5]
After his release, Zakir rose through the ranks of the Taliban, running military operations in
Early life
Abdul Qayyum was born in the
Taliban activities and Guantanamo Bay internment
Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi instructed Qayyum and Nematullah to join the
Zakir surrendered to United States-led forces in
was 8.On March 4, 2010, Afghan intelligence officials said that the captive known as "Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul" was really "Abdul Qayyum", and that "Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul" had been his father's name.[14] They reported his nom de guerre is "Qayyum Zakir". He was named "Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul" on most of the documents published by the US Department of Defense.[9] He was named "Mullah Y Abdhullah" on the Summary of Evidence memo prepared for his 2007 annual Administrative Review Board.
Zakir was transferred from Guantanamo Bay to the American-renovated Block D of Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Afghanistan in December 2007.[5] The Afghan government released him in May 2008, possibly due to pressure from tribal elders.[4][13] Patrick Mercer, a member of the United Kingdom Parliament and its counter-terrorism subcommittee, expressed surprise that he had been allowed to rejoin the Taliban, wanting to know why he had been released. Peter M. Ryan, an American lawyer who represented another former captive who had been held in Pul-e-Charkhi, described the Afghan review procedure in Pul-e-Charkhi as "chaotic", and more influenced by tribal politics than by guilt or innocence.[5]
Return to Taliban leadership
After his release, Zakir joined the Taliban and was appointed the leader of the Gerdi Jangal Regional Military Shura, a regional military command that oversaw operations in Helmand and
The New York Times reported that Zakir led a December 2008-January 2009 delegation to the Pakistani Taliban to convince them to refocus their efforts away from the Pakistani government and towards the American-led forces in Afghanistan. Anand Gopal reported that Zakir helped write a Taliban "rule book" that sought to limit civilian casualties.[4] In 2010, he was appointed as "surge commander" by the Taliban and was tasked with countering the surge of Coalition and Afghan forces and their strategy to deny the Taliban safe heavens in the southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar.[10]
On March 1, 2010,
The Wall Street Journal reported in April 2014 that Zakir had left the position of chief military commander. The Taleban leadership officially said that he stepped down due to "ill health". Some informants said that he was demoted, because of his strong opposition to peace talks with the Afghan Government and disagreements with more moderate leaders such as Akhtar Mansour.[12] Zakir was succeeded by Ibrahim Sadar.[19]
After the death of Taliban founding leader
In May 2020, Yaqoob was appointed as the head of the military, replacing Sadar, with Zakir and Sadar appointed his deputies.[13]
In June 2020, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty described Zakir as an Iran-linked Taliban commander who opposed peace talks between the US, Afghan government and the Taliban.[20]
During the 2021 Taliban offensive, he was one of the commander of Taliban forces in southern part of Afghanistan and led the march towards Kabul. He was reportedly the first to enter the presidential palace upon Ashraf Ghani’s flight.[2] After the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on 15 August 2021, Zakir was appointed as the Taliban's deputy minister of defense.[3]
On 21 August 2022, Zakir was appointed as the military commander of
References
- ^ Harris, Jr., Harry B. (December 26, 2006). "MEMORANDUM FOR Commander, United States Southern Command, 3511 NW Avenue, Miami, FL 33172" (PDF). The New York Times. Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. United States Department of Defense. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ a b Moiz, Ibrahim (27 August 2021). "A tricky path from insurgency to Emirate". TRT World.
- ^ a b c "Taliban Appoints Former Guantanamo Bay Detainee to Lead Fight in Panjshir | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. 22 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Gopal, Anand (April 30, 2010). "Qayyum Zakir: The Taliban's Rising Mastermind". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 2016-03-18. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
- ^ a b c d e f Evans, Michael; Philp, Catherine (March 13, 2009). "Afghans pressed to explain release of Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul". The Times. London. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ^ Gopalakrishnan, Raju; Mackenzie, James (21 September 2021). Birsel, Robert (ed.). "Taliban appoint hardline battlefield commanders to key Afghan posts". Reuters. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ "Taliban appoints former Guantanamo detainee as acting defense minister, Al Jazeera says". Reuters. 2021-08-24. Archived from the original on 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ a b c d "عبد القيوم ذاكر... 5 معلومات أساسية عن مسؤول اللجنة العسكرية لطالبان". www.alaraby.co.uk/ (in Arabic). 16 August 2021. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ a b c "List of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from January 2002 through May 15, 2006" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. 2006-05-15. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2006-05-15.
- ^ a b c Roggio, Bill (11 April 2016). "Taliban: Mullah Zakir denies reports he called for negotiations with the West". FDD's Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ Farmer, Ben (25 August 2021). "Afghan government worker killed by Taliban militants despite amnesty promise". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Afghan Taliban's Chief Military Commander Steps Down". The Wall Street Journal. 26 April 2014. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2014.(subscription required)
- ^ a b c d e f Foulkes, John (2 July 2020). "Iran's Taliban Connection: Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir". Militant Leadership Monitor. Jamestown. Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d Kathy Gannon (2010-03-04). "Former Gitmo detainee said running Afghan battles". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2010-03-07.
- ^ Pamela Hess (2009-03-11). "Officials: Taliban ops chief once held at Gitmo". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 16 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- ^ "Ex-detainee 'now Taliban commander'". Associated Press. 2009-03-11. Archived from the original on 2024-05-24. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- ^ Amir Mir (2010-03-01). "Pakistan wipes out half of Quetta Shura". The News International. Archived from the original on 2010-03-09.
According to well-informed diplomatic circles in Islamabad, the decision-makers in the powerful Pakistani establishment seem to have concluded in view of the ever-growing nexus between the Pakistani and the Afghan Taliban that they are now one and the same and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Quetta Shura Taliban (QST) could no more be treated as two separate Jihadi entities.
- ^ Fenton, Jenifer (January 27, 2016). "After repatriation, ex-Guantánamo Afghans pursue variety of life options". Al Jazeera America. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
- ^ "Afghan Taliban Appoint New Military Commander". The Wall Street Journal. 13 May 2014. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2014.(subscription required)
- ^ "Iranian Links: New Taliban Splinter Group Emerges That Opposes U.S. Peace Deal". gandhara.rferl.org. 10 June 2020. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
External links
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