The Ahmadzai () is a
Pashtun tribe of the
Ghilji
The Ghiljī (, ; ) also spelled Khilji, Khalji, or Ghilzai and Ghilzay (), are one of the largest Pashtuns, Pashtun tribes. Their traditional homeland is Ghazni and Qalati Ghilji in Afghanistan but they have also settled in other regions throu ...
confederacy. As their influence grew, this original subtribe of
Sulaimankhel got recognition as a tribe of its own and are considered to be good leaders and fighters, also lauded for their knowledge of
Pushtunwali. The Ahmadzai homelands are primarily in the historic
Loya Paktia (modern
Paktia,
Paktika, and
Khost
Khōst () is the capital of Khost Province in Afghanistan. It is the largest city in the southeastern part of the country, and also the largest in the region of Loya Paktia. To the south and east of Khost lie Waziristan and Kurram Agency, Kurram i ...
provinces), but they can be found in many places between
Logar to
Jalalabad
Jalalabad (; Help:IPA/Persian, ͡ʒä.lɑː.lɑː.bɑːd̪ is the list of cities in Afghanistan, fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 200,331, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part ...
.
Due to the history of deportations, pockets of Ahmadzai can also be found in
Kunduz
Kunduz (; ; ) is a city in northern Afghanistan and the capital of Kunduz Province. The city has an estimated population of about 268,893 as of 2015, making it about the List of cities in Afghanistan, seventh largest city of Afghanistan, and the ...
,
Baghlan, and
Balkh provinces.
Among all of Ghilsais, Ahmadzai is the tribe that is politically closest to
Durrani
The Durrānī (, ), formerly known as Abdālī (), are one of the largest Pashtun tribes, tribal confederation of Pashtuns. Their traditional homeland is in southern Afghanistan (Loy Kandahar region), straddling into Toba Achakzai in Balochistan, ...
, the traditional rulers 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 ...
, and had received from the latter the posts of military commanders and governors, unlike the rest of Ghilsai who are mostly opposed to the central government. Generally, Ahmadzai can be found among the leaders on both sides of Afghan political divides: for example, during the
Soviet-Afghan war some tribesmen were serving as officers in the army, others were manning the
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 ...
groups. A large portion of the tribe live as
Kochi nomads.
[Ethnic Identity in Afghanistan](_blank)
Naval Postgraduate School
Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a Naval command with a graduate university mission, operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California.
The NPS mission is to provide "defense-focused graduate education, including clas ...
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Khels of Ghilzai Ahmadzai are Babakar khel, Isa Khel,
Jabbarkhel, Maruf Khel, Musa Khel, Zandak Khel, Ya Khel.
Of these, Jabbarkhel is considered one of the most powerful
khels, the "aristocrats" (''khanan''). A subgroup of Jabbarkhel, the Arsala khel, hailing from the
Hisarak district on
Nangahar province, was known as "resistance royalty" in the 1980s.
Ahmadzai Pashtun tribe is a Powindah tribe and are traditional nomadic merchant warriors. They are considered as the pioneers of trade among other
Powindah merchant tribes.
The former Afghan presidents
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 ...
(2014–2021) and
Mohammad Najibullah
Mohammad Najibullah Ahmadzai (6 August 1947 – 27 September 1996) was an Afghan military officer and politician who served as the second president of Afghanistan from 1987 until his resignation in April 1992, shortly after the Afghan mujahideen' ...
(1987–1992) belonged to the Ahmadzai tribe (the former had dropped his tribal name after his election in 2014).
Notable Ahmadzai
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Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, former President of Afghanistan, 2014-2021
*
Hashmat Ghani Ahmadzai, Grand Council Chieftain of the Kochi people
*
Mirwais Ahmadzaï
Mirwais Ahmadzaï (born 23 October 1960), known mononymously as Mirwais, is a French electronic dance music record producer and songwriter, born in Lausanne, Switzerland to an Afghanistan, Afghan father and an Italians, Italian mother. A former ...
, France-based musician and record producer
*
Mohammad Najibullah Ahmadzai, President of Afghanistan, 1987–1992
*
Mohammad Sarwar Ahmedzai, politician, 2014 Afghan presidential candidate
*
Abdul Haq ʻAbd al-Ḥaqq (ALA-LC romanization of ) is an Arabic male given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words ''Abd (Arabic), ʻabd'' and ''al-Ḥaqq'', one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which give rise to the List of ...
, Afghan Mujahideen leader
References
Sources
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{{Pashtun tribes
Ghilji Pashtun tribes
Tribes of Afghanistan