Bibi Ayesha () is a former
military leader
Military ranks is a system of hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies, paramilitary groups, and other institutions organized along military lines, such as youth groups, chivalric orders, religious orders, an ...
who was the only known female
warlord
Warlords are individuals who exercise military, Economy, economic, and Politics, political control over a region, often one State collapse, without a strong central or national government, typically through informal control over Militia, local ...
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 ...
. She controlled a force of 500-1000 men in the
Nahrin district of
Baghlan Province
Baghlan ( Dari and ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan and located in northeastern Afghanistan. As of 2020, the province has a population of about 1,014,634.
Its capital is Puli Khumri, but its name comes from the other major town in t ...
.
Also known as Commander Kaftar (, "The
Hyena
Hyenas or hyaenas ( ; from Ancient Greek , ) are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae (). With just four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the order Carnivora and one of the sma ...
"), she operated for at least two decades, fighting against
Soviet troops and then 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) ...
militia as part of
Jamiat-e Islami
Jamiat-e-Islami (also rendered as Jamiati Islami; ), sometimes shortened to Jamiat, is a predominantly Afghan Tajik political party and former paramilitary organisation in Afghanistan. It is the oldest and largest functioning political part ...
.
She continued to operate her militia during the
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was a presidential republic in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2021. The state was established to replace the Afghan Afghan Interim Administration, interim (2001–2002) and Transitional Islamic State of Afghanist ...
.
Early life
She was born in
Nahrin district of
Baghlan Province
Baghlan ( Dari and ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan and located in northeastern Afghanistan. As of 2020, the province has a population of about 1,014,634.
Its capital is Puli Khumri, but its name comes from the other major town in t ...
to a
Tajik family.
She dismissed notions that the roles of women in Afghanistan should exclude military roles, saying "It makes no difference if you are a man or a woman when you have the heart of a fighter."
However, she does insist that a ''
mahram
In Islam, a () is a family member with whom marriage would be considered permanently unlawful (''haram''). A woman does not need to wear hijab around her mahram or spouse, and an adult male mahram or husband may escort a woman on a journey, a ...
'' male relative, accompany her into battle.
[Coghlan, Tom. ]BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
Afghanistan's feared woman warlord
March 16, 2006
On 18 October 2020, Ayesha came under attack by the Taliban, a day after they claimed that she had defected to them. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed that the commander had defected to the group, but when media contacted her, she categorically rejected the reports over the telephone.
See also
*
Afghan National Army
The Islamic National Army (, ), also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Army and the Afghan Army, is the army, land force branch of the Afghan Armed Forces. The roots of an army in Afghanistan can be traced back to the early 18th century when th ...
*
Khatool Mohammadzai
*
Latifa Nabizada
*
Niloofar Rahmani
*
Women's rights in Afghanistan
Women's rights in Afghanistan are severely restricted by the Taliban. In 2023, the United Nations termed Afghanistan as the world's most repressive country for women. Since the 2020–2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, US troops with ...
References
External links
Ayesha: Afghanistan's Only Female Warlord
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Mujahideen members of the Soviet–Afghan War
Hazara military personnel
Afghan warlords
People from Baghlan Province
Women in 21st-century warfare
Women in war in South Asia
{{Afghanistan-mil-bio-stub