Mohammad Jan Abdullah Wardak (1954 or 1955 – 13 September 2008) was an Afghan

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and former

Mujahideen ''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' (), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' (), an Arabic term that broadly refers to people who engage in ''jihad'' (), interpreted in a jurisprudence of Islam as the fight on behalf of God, religion or the commun ...

commander. He served as a government Minister and Governor of

Logar Province Logar (Pashto/Dari: لوگر) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern section of the country. It is divided into 7 districts and contains hundreds of villages. Puli Alam is the capital of the province. As of 2021, Logar ...

Early life and biography

Abdullah Wardak, an ethnic

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

, was born in 1954 or 1955 in Saydabad District,

Maidan Wardak Province Wardak is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in central Afghanistan. Its capital is the closest provincial city to Kabul. Wardak Have 8 District. Wardak or Wardag (Dari/Pashto: ), is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan he fought as a Mujahideen. He was aligned with

Abdul Rasul Sayyaf Abdulrab Rasul Sayyaf ( ; ; born 1946) is an exiled Afghan politician and former Afghan mujahideen, mujahideen commander. He took part in the war against the Marxist–Leninist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) government in the 198 ...

's Islamic Union for the liberation of Afghanistan party. When the

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

came to power he fought against them as part of the

Northern Alliance The Northern Alliance ( ''Da Šumāl E'tilāf'' or ''Ettehād Šumāl''), officially known as the United National Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan ( ''Jabha-ye Muttahid-e barāye Afğānistān''), was a military alliance of groups that op ...

. He fought alongside the American forces in 2001, helping to overthrow the Taliban regime. In December 2001, following the Bonn Agreement, Abdullah Wardak was appointed Minister of Martyrs and Disabled in the

Afghan Transitional Administration Afghan or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...

Hamid Karzai Hamid Karzai (born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan politician who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from 2002 to 2014, including as the first president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from 2004 to 2014. He previously served a ...

. He held the position until a new cabinet was selected in December 2004, following the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...

. In July 2007 he was appointed Governor of Logar Province, replacing Sayed Abdul Karim Hashimi, who was perceived as being ineffective on

counter-insurgency Counterinsurgency (COIN, or NATO spelling counter-insurgency) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the ac ...

measures. In January 2005 Abdullah Wardak visited

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...

and spoke at the Bethel Temple Community Church. He spoke about the war in Afghanistan and how he was helping the church to open a school, an orphanage and a home for widows in

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

. He received the key to the city from Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel.

Assassination

On the morning of 13 September 2008 Abdullah Wardak left his residence in Paghman,

Kabul Province Kabul (Dari/Pashto: ), situated in the east of the country, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. The capital of the province is Kabul city, which is Afghanistan's capital and largest city. The population of the Kabul Province is ...

and was being driven to his office. His vehicle was targeted in a

remote control A remote control, also known colloquially as a remote or clicker, is an consumer electronics, electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operat ...

mine detonation while crossing a dry riverbed. The car was destroyed and Abdullah Wardak, his driver and two

bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects an very important person, important person or group of people, such as high-ranking public offic ...

s were killed. The attack happened around 08:00 local time, approximately 300 yards from Abdullah Wardak's home. Taliban spokesman

Zabiullah Mujahid Zabihullah Mujahid (; ''Ẕabīḥullāh Mujāhid'' ; also spelled Dhabih Allah Mujahid) is an Afghan spokesperson who has been the chief spokesman for the internationally unrecognized Taliban regime of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since 25 O ...

said the bomb had been remotely detonated by two Taliban insurgents.
Abdullah Wardak was the second provincial Governor to be assassinated by the Taliban. The first was the Governor of

Paktia Province Paktia (Pashto – ''Paktyā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughly 623,00 ...

, Hakim Taniwal in September 2006.
President Hamid Karzai condemned the assassination by "terrorists" and was said to be "deeply saddened" he described Abdullah Wardak as a "true son of Afghanistan". Zemarai Bashary a spokesman for the

Interior ministry An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

said "The Governor has been martyred". On 14 September 2008 Abdullah Wardak's

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

was held at the mosque in Pajak village,

Paghman District Paghman District is in the western part of Kabul Province, Afghanistan. It has a population of over 120,000 people (2002 UNHCR estimate). Paghman district borders Wardak and Parwan provinces to the west, Shakardara District to the north, Kabu ...

, he was buried in the grounds of his home. The funeral was held amid tight security and attended by government officials and members of the United National Front.

References

External links

Abdullah Wardak
at ISN {{DEFAULTSORT:Wardak, Abdullah Year of birth unknown 1950s births 2008 deaths Pashtun politicians Afghan Muslims Governors of Logar Province Mujahideen members of the Soviet–Afghan War Government ministers of Afghanistan Assassinated Afghan politicians Afghan terrorism victims Terrorism deaths in Afghanistan Islamic Dawah Organisation of Afghanistan politicians People killed by the Taliban Asian politicians assassinated in the 2000s Politicians assassinated in 2008