Abdul Kayum Sakir
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Abdul Qayyum "Zakir" (born 1973), also known by the
nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...
Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul, is a Taliban militant commander and the acting Deputy Minister of Defense of the internationally unrecognized Taliban regime currently ruling Afghanistan. He was also the acting Defense Minister of the Taliban, from 24 August 2021 to 7 September 2021. Zakir joined 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) ...
movement in 1997 and took part in the
Afghan civil war War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire *Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in t ...
. 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 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 ...
. Following the United States invasion of Afghanistan, Zakir surrendered to US forces and was interned in the US
Guantanamo Bay detention camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp, also known as GTMO ( ), GITMO ( ), or simply Guantanamo Bay, is a United States military prison within Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NSGB), on the coast of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. It was established in 2002 by p ...
in
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. He was transferred from US custody to
Pul-e-Charkhi prison Pul-e-Charkhi prison (Dari: زندان پل چرخی), also known as the Afghan National Detention Facility, is a maximum-security prison located next to the Ahmad Shah Baba Mina neighborhood in the eastern part of Kabul, Afghanistan. It has the ...
in Afghanistan, from where he was later released. After his release, Zakir rose through the ranks of the Taliban, running military operations in
Helmand Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 18 ...
and
Nimroz Nimruz or Nimroz ( Balochi: ; Dari, Pashto: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southwestern part of the country. It lies to the east of the Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran and north of Balochistan, Pakistan, also ...
provinces before becoming the Taliban's overall military commander. During his tenure he was often described as one of the movement's hardliners and was reported to maintain close links to
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
. In 2014, he stepped down, reportedly following an internal leadership dispute, then was appointed as a deputy to the military head in 2020.


Early life

Abdul Qayyum was born in the Kajaki District of
Helmand Province Helmand (Pashto language, Pashto/Dari language, Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering ...
in southern Afghanistan in 1973, and grew up in
Jowzjan Province Jowzjan, sometimes spelled Jawzjan or Jowzjan () is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north of the country bordering neighboring Turkmenistan. The province is divided into 11 districts and contains hundreds of villag ...
in northern Afghanistan. He is 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 ...
of the
Alizai tribe Alizai or Alizay (; ) is a Pashtun tribe in southwestern and central Afghanistan. It belongs to the Panjpai confederation of the larger Durrani tribe of Ahmad Shah Durrani. Qadyr Alizai, an entrepreneur and economist in Kabul, is the chief. Thei ...
. He studied at a religious school in Afghanistan before travelling to Pakistan, where he enrolled in a
madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...
(religious school) in
Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...
,
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...
. The school was affiliated with an
Afghan mujahideen The Afghan ''mujahideen'' (; ; ) were Islamist militant groups that fought against the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and the Soviet Union during the Soviet–Afghan War and the subsequent Afghan Civil War (1989–1992), First Afghan Ci ...
group under the command of
Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi (; 1920–21 April 2002) was an Afghan politician and mujahideen leader who was the founder and leader of the Harakat-i-Inqilab-i-Islami ( Islamic Revolution Movement) political party and paramilitary group. He served as ...
that was fighting against the Soviets in Afghanistan.


Taliban activities and Guantanamo Bay internment

Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi instructed Qayyum and Nematullah to join 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) ...
movement after it formed, and they joined it in
Spin Boldak District Spin Boldak is a district in the eastern part of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. It borders Daman District to the west, Arghistan District to the north, Qila Abdullah District of Pakistan to the east and Shorabak District to the south. The popu ...
in eastern Afghanistan. Qayyum joined in 1997. His nom de guerre on the Taliban's walkie-talkie network was "Zakir", and he became commonly known by that name. During the
Afghan civil war War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire *Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in t ...
, Nematullah was killed in a fight against then warlord and later politician
Ismail Khan Mohammad Ismail Khan (Dari/Pashto: محمد اسماعیل خان; born 1946), better known as Ismail Khan, is an Afghan former military officer, warlord and politician who served as Minister of Energy and Water from 2005 to 2013 and before tha ...
in
Herat province Herat ( Dari: هرات) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the western part of the country. Together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the north-western region of Afghanistan. Its primary city a ...
and Zakir took command of his group. During the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, Zakir held the positions of deputy army commander, northern front commander and minister of defence for a short period. Zakir surrendered to United States-led forces in
Mazar-i-Sharif Mazar-i-Sharīf ( ; Dari and ), also known as Mazar-e Sharīf or simply Mazar, is the fifth-largest city in Afghanistan by population, with the estimates varying from 500,000-680,000. It is the capital of Balkh province and is linked by highway ...
in 2001 and was interned in the United States
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp, also known as GTMO ( ), GITMO ( ), or simply Guantanamo Bay, is a United States military prison within Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NSGB), on the coast of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. It was established in 2002 by p ...
s in
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number 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. 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. He was named "
Mullah Mullah () is an honorific title for Islam, Muslim clergy and mosque Imam, leaders. The term is widely used in Iran and Afghanistan and is also used for a person who has higher education in Islamic theology and Sharia, sharia law. The title h ...
Y Abdhullah" on the Summary of Evidence memo prepared for his 2007 annual
Administrative Review Board The Administrative Review Board is a United States military body that conducts an annual review of the detainees held by the United States in Camp Delta at the United States Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The purpose o ...
. Zakir was transferred from Guantanamo Bay to the American-renovated Block D of
Pul-e-Charkhi prison Pul-e-Charkhi prison (Dari: زندان پل چرخی), also known as the Afghan National Detention Facility, is a maximum-security prison located next to the Ahmad Shah Baba Mina neighborhood in the eastern part of Kabul, Afghanistan. It has the ...
in Afghanistan in December 2007. The Afghan government released him in May 2008, possibly due to pressure from tribal elders.
Patrick Mercer Patrick John Mercer (born 26 June 1956) is a British author and former politician. He was elected as a Conservative in the 2001 general election, until resigning the party's parliamentary whip in May 2013 following questions surrounding paid ad ...
, 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.


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
Nimroz Nimruz or Nimroz ( Balochi: ; Dari, Pashto: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southwestern part of the country. It lies to the east of the Sistan and Baluchestan province of Iran and north of Balochistan, Pakistan, also ...
provinces. On March 9, 2009, the Department of Defense reported that he had emerged as a Taliban leader. British officials believed he became the Taliban's operations commander for southern Afghanistan soon after his release and blamed him for masterminding an increase in roadside attacks against British and American troops. He was living in Quetta and had command of the four southern provinces of Helmand,
Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...
,
Uruzgan Uruzgan (Pashto: ; Dari: ), also spelled as Urozgan or Oruzgan, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Uruzgan is located in the center of the country. The population is 436,079, and the province is mostly a tribal society. Tarinkot ...
and
Zabul Zabul (Pashto/Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the south of the country. It has a population of 249,000. Zabul became an independent province from neighbouring Kandahar in 1963. Historically, it was part of the Zab ...
, with the power to appoint Taliban governors there. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reported that Zakir led a December 2008-January 2009 delegation to the
Pakistani Taliban The Pakistani Taliban, officially the Tehreek-i-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, its current ...
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. 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. On March 1, 2010, ''
The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/ Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London th ...
'' reported that Zakir was part of the Taliban's
Quetta Shura The Leadership Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, also translated as the Supreme Council (, also referred to as the Inner Shura), is an advisory council to the Supreme Leader of Afghanistan. The supreme leader convenes and chairs the ...
, and that he had been arrested by Pakistani authorities in recent raids along with nine other leaders, the most senior of whom was
Abdul Ghani Baradar Abdul Ghani Baradar (born 29 September 1963 known by the honorific ''mullah'') is an Afghan politician and religious leader who is the acting first Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan, deputy prime minister, alongside Abdul Salam Hanafi, of the ...
. In addition to Baradar, the raids were reported to have captured
Mir Muhammad Mir Mohammad (, also Romanized as Mīr Moḩammad and Mīr Muhammad; also known as Mīr Moḩammadī) is a village in Balaband Rural District, in the Central District of Fariman County, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran Iran, officially ...
, Abdul Salam,
Abdul Kabir Mawlawi Abdul Kabir () is an Afghan politician and a senior member of the Taliban leadership.Mohammad Hassan Akhund Muhammad Hasan Akhund Kakar (born ) is an Afghan politician and cleric who is currently the acting prime minister of Afghanistan in the internationally unrecognized Taliban government since 7 September 2021. Akhund is one of the founding mem ...
, Abdul Rauf, Ahmad Jan Akhundzada and
Muhammad Younis Muhammad Younis (4 November 1948 – 29 October 2024) was a Pakistani middle distance runner who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics and the 1976 Summer Olympics. He still holds the national records in 1500 metres, 2000 metres, 3000 metres a ...
. Zakir was released without explanation. On March 4, 2010, the Associated Press reported "two senior Afghan intelligence officials" claimed Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul had emerged to be a senior Taliban leader, and that he was under consideration to replace Abdul Ghani Baradar as number two in the Taliban's chain of command, following Baradar's arrest. He did take over as the chief military commander in 2010. ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' reported in April 2014 that Zakir had left the position of chief military commander. The Taliban 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 Akhtar Mohammad Mansour (196821 May 2016) was an Afghan militant leader who served as the second supreme leader of the Taliban. Succeeding the founding leader, Mullah Omar, he was the supreme leader from July 2015 to May 2016, when he was killed ...
. Zakir was succeeded by
Ibrahim Sadar Ibrahim Sadr (; born Khodaidad), sometimes written Ibrahim Sadar, is a senior Taliban official serving as the acting deputy minister of interior affairs of Afghanistan since 21 September 2021. He previously served as the acting minister of inte ...
. After the death of Taliban founding leader Mohammad Omar was announced in 2015, Mansour was appointed supreme leader. Zakir and others boycotted the process that appointed Mansour. He preferred
Mohammad Yaqoob Muhammad Yaqoob Mujahid Tumzi (born 1990), commonly known as Mullah Yaqoob, is an Afghan military leader and cleric who is serving as the second deputy leader of Afghanistan and the acting defense minister in the internationally unrecognized Ta ...
, Omar's eldest son, for the position. After some delay Zakir pledged allegiance to Mansour. In May 2020, Yaqoob was appointed as the head of the military, replacing Sadar, with Zakir and Sadar appointed his deputies. In June 2020,
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
described Zakir as an
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
-linked Taliban commander who opposed peace talks between the US, Afghan government and the Taliban. During the
2021 Taliban offensive The 2021 Taliban offensive was a Offensive (military), military offensive by the Taliban insurgent group and allied militants that led to the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the end of the nearly 20-year War in Afghanistan (200 ...
, he was one of the commander of Taliban forces in southern part of Afghanistan and led the march towards
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 was reportedly the first to enter the
presidential palace A presidential palace is the official residence of the president in some countries. Some presidential palaces were once the official residences to monarchs in former monarchies that were preserved during those states' transition into republics. ...
upon
Ashraf Ghani Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (born 19 May 1949) is an Afghan former politician and economist who served as the president of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021, when his government was 2021 Taliban offensive, overthrown by the Ta ...
’s flight. After the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on 15 August 2021, Zakir was appointed as the Taliban's deputy minister of defense. On 21 August 2022, Zakir was appointed as the military commander of
Panjshir province Panjshir (Dari: , literally "Five Lions," pronounced /pand͡ʒʃeːɾ/, also spelled as Panjsher) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country containing the Panjshir Valley. The provinc ...
.
Long War Journal ''FDD's Long War Journal'' (LWJ) is an American news website, also described as a blog, which reports on the War on terror. The site is operated by Public Multimedia Incorporated (PMI), a non-profit media organization established in 2007. ...
notes that Zakir appointment to lead the fight against National Resistance Front (NRF) in Panjshir and the district of
Andarab Andarab is the name of a large stream in Afghanistan and of the valley it empties into. The stream originates in the Hindu Kush, near Khawak Pass, and flows to the west for about 75 miles before merging into the Surkhab. Andarab valley Toget ...
is a clear indication that the NRF is challenging the Taliban's primacy in central and northern Afghanistan.


References


External links


Who are 'the worst of the worst'?
Andy Worthington {{DEFAULTSORT:Zakir, Abdul Qayyum 1973 births Living people Guantanamo detainees known to have been released Taliban leaders Pashtun people People from Helmand Province Taliban government ministers of Afghanistan Defence ministers of Afghanistan Afghan extrajudicial prisoners of the United States