Maulvi Saif-ur Mansur (also Saifullah Rahman Mansour, Saifullah Rehman Mansoor; died ) was a senior

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) ...

commander. Saifullah's father, Nasrullah Mansur, had been one of the leading militia commanders who fought against the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Prior to the American invasion of Afghanistan Saifullah was the deputy commander of the Taliban's garrison at Kargha, on the outskirts of

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 fled to

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

following the deposition of the Taliban in late 2001, and was reported to have rallied 1,000 fighters by March 2002. Saifullah was reported by Pajhwok Afghan News to have said "The fight against America for the supremacy of Islam and the defense of our country will continue until our last breath". In May 2002 ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine described Saifullah as an emerging hero in the Taliban, after his men destroyed an American helicopter, killing seven American soldiers, in the

Battle of Takur Ghar The Battle of Takur Ghar was a short but intense military engagement between United States special operations forces and al-Qaeda insurgents fought in March 2002, atop Takur Ghar mountain in Afghanistan. For the U.S. side, the battle proved ...

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 ...

. Quoting a former Taliban diplomat, the magazine described Saifullah as "a pious and emotional man of limited education and vision, naive and easily misled." In 2005 Pakistani officials offered contradictory comments about whether Saifullah was still alive. Saifullah was killed in combat in January 2008, according to Pajhwok Afghan News, quoting a source in the National Intelligence Department. The Indian press reported that a militant seized in disputed

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

in November 2010 asserted that Saifullah Mansur had been the "masool" or leader in Pakistan's Sarhad Province.

References

External links

Time Magazine

Evening Standard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansur, Saif-Ur 2000s deaths Taliban leaders Pashtun people Afghan Muslims Year of birth missing Year of death missing Afghan expatriates in Pakistan