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Obaidullah Akhund
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Mullah Obaidullah Akhund (Pashto: ملا عبيدالله آخوند; c. 1968 – March 5, 2010) was the Defence Minister in the Afghan Taliban government of 1996–2001 and then an insurgent commander during the Taliban insurgency against the Afghan government of Hamid Karzai and the US-led NATO forces. He was captured by Pakistani security forces in 2007 and died of heart disease in a Pakistani prison in 2010.
Key Information
Biography
[edit]Obaidullah Akhund was born in the Panjwai district of Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan[3] and was believed to be born in about 1968. He was of the Alakozai tribe.[4]
Obaidullah Akhund became the Defense Minister of Afghanistan in April 1997, and the second of two[5] top deputies to Mullah Omar, the spiritual leader of the Taliban movement. Obaidullah was seen as the "number three" man in the Taliban.[6] In late 2001 or early 2002, Obaidullah surrendered to Afghan Northern Alliance troops near Kandahar and was then released as part of an amnesty.[7]
He was one of the main Taliban military leaders in 2003 and was named to the Rahbari Shura (leadership council).[8] Abdul Latif Hakimi, who was captured by Pakistan in 2005, said that Obaidullah was one of two people with direct access to Mullah Omar and that Obaidullah had personally ordered insurgent attacks, including the killing of a foreign-aid official in March 2005.[3]
Obaidullah was captured by Pakistani security forces in February 2007 in Quetta, Pakistan.[6][9] He was the most senior Taliban official captured since the start of the war in Afghanistan in 2001.[10]
Obaidullah was freed in November 2007 in exchange for the release of more than 200 Pakistani soldiers captured by the Taliban. He was rearrested in February 2008[11][12] and died on March 5, 2010, of heart disease at a prison in Karachi, Pakistan.[13][14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Sayed, Abdul (8 September 2021). "Analysis: How Are the Taliban Organized?". Voice of America. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ Ruttig, Thomas (March 2021). "Have the Taliban Changed?". CTC Sentinel. 14 (3). Combating Terrorism Center. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ a b Gall, Calotta: "Pakistanis catch a top member of Taliban", page 4. International Herald Tribune, March 2, 2007
- ^ Felix Kuehn, Alex Strick van Linschoten (23 August 2012). An Enemy We Created: The Myth of the Taliban-Al Qaeda Merger in Afghanistan. Oxford University Press. p. 481. ISBN 9780199977239.
- ^ Osman, Borhan (24 November 2015). "Toward Fragmentation? Mapping the post-Omar Taleban". Afghan Analysts Network. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ a b 'Taleban leader held' in Pakistan, BBC News, March 2, 2007
- ^ "Profile: Mullah Obaidullah Akhund". Cooperative Research. Archived from the original on 2007-06-28. Retrieved 2007-03-05.
- ^ "Report: Taliban names anti-US leadership council". Haaretz. Reuters. June 24, 2003. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ Pakistan braces for Taliban backlash after arrest, Reuters, March 3, 2007
- ^ Report: Pakistan arrests one of Taliban's top three, CNN, March 2, 2007
- ^ "Musharraf Frees Taliban Militants - Newsweek and the Daily Beast". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
- ^ "Pakistan rearrests Mullah Obaidullah". Long War Journal. 24 February 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
- ^ "Taliban announces death of ex-defense minister in 2010". Fox News. February 13, 2012.
- ^ "Taliban announce death of ex-defense minister". Yahoo News. 13 February 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
Obaidullah Akhund
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Early Life
Origins and Upbringing
Obaidullah Akhund, also known as Mullah Obaidullah, was an Alikozai Pashtun from Panjwai district in Kandahar Province, southern Afghanistan.[8][9] U.S. intelligence assessments placed his age at approximately 40 in 2001, indicating a birth year in the early 1960s.[9] A Taliban spokesman, however, claimed Akhund was born in 1969 in the Zalgham area of neighboring Zhari district, Kandahar, as the son of Mullah Yar Mohammad Akhund. Little documented information exists on Akhund's early upbringing, which likely occurred in a rural Pashtun tribal environment amid the socio-political instability of southern Afghanistan during the late 20th century.[9] As a religious figure bearing the title "Mullah," he presumably pursued Islamic clerical training, though specific details of his education or family influences prior to Taliban involvement remain unverified in available records.[6]Involvement in the Taliban
Joining and Initial Roles
Obaidullah Akhund, originating from Arghandab District in Kandahar Province, aligned with the Taliban during its formation in 1994 amid the chaos of Afghanistan's civil war following the Soviet withdrawal. As a longtime associate of the movement's founder, Mullah Mohammed Omar, Akhund contributed to the group's initial military efforts in southern Afghanistan, leveraging local Pashtun networks to consolidate power against rival mujahideen factions.[2] By September 1996, after the Taliban captured Kabul and declared the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Akhund assumed the role of Minister of Defense, becoming one of the regime's core leaders responsible for commanding its forces nationwide. In this capacity, he directed operations to subdue remaining warlord strongholds, such as those held by Abdul Rashid Dostum and Ahmed Shah Massoud, facilitating the Taliban's control over approximately 90% of Afghan territory by 1998.[1][2] Akhund's early tenure emphasized rapid territorial expansion and enforcement of the Taliban's strict interpretation of Sharia, including oversight of military training programs that later accommodated foreign fighters. His position on the Taliban's leadership shura underscored his influence in strategic decisions from the outset of the emirate's governance.[1]Ascendancy to Leadership
Obaidullah Akhund ascended to high leadership in the Taliban following the movement's capture of Kabul on September 27, 1996, when he was appointed Minister of Defense in the newly expanded Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. This role positioned him as the chief overseer of the Taliban's military apparatus, a testament to his longstanding proximity to founder Mullah Mohammed Omar, with both hailing from the Kandahar region and Akhund belonging to the Alikozai subtribe of Durrani Pashtuns.[1][10][2] In this capacity, Akhund directed the regime's efforts to subdue remaining opposition, including Northern Alliance holdouts, and integrate captured territories under centralized command. His influence grew as he became one of Omar's primary deputies on the Taliban's Supreme Council (Rahbari Shura), where he held responsibility for coordinating military operations and strategic planning.[11][12] This elevation reflected not only personal loyalty but also Akhund's demonstrated competence in field command during the Taliban's southern campaigns prior to 1996. Akhund's authority extended to endorsing alliances with foreign militants, including the approval of al Qaeda training facilities in Taliban-controlled areas, which solidified his status as a core decision-maker in the regime's security policies until the U.S.-led invasion in late 2001.[1]Tenure as Defense Minister
Appointment and Responsibilities
Mullah Obaidullah Akhund was appointed as the Taliban's Minister of Defense in September 1996 by the movement's supreme leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, shortly after the Taliban captured Kabul on September 27 and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.[1] This appointment positioned him as one of the regime's top military authorities, leveraging his longstanding association with Omar and his role in earlier Taliban campaigns.[11] As Defense Minister, Akhund bore primary responsibility for commanding the Taliban's army, formulating defense policies, and overseeing military logistics and recruitment within the constraints of the group's theocratic structure.[2] He also held a seat on the Taliban's Supreme Shura, the leadership council that advised Omar on strategic matters, including security and governance.[13] His duties encompassed coordinating responses to insurgencies from rival factions, such as the Northern Alliance, and maintaining operational control over provincial forces.[1]Military Strategies and Operations
As Taliban Defense Minister from 1996 to 2001, Obaidullah Akhund directed the regime's armed forces in consolidating control over Afghanistan, overseeing operations against the Northern Alliance and residual mujahideen factions.[2] The Taliban military, estimated at 40,000 to 45,000 fighters equipped with captured Soviet-era armor including T-55 tanks and artillery, shifted from initial guerrilla ambushes to coordinated offensives emphasizing rapid advances along key highways to secure supply lines and population centers.[14] Akhund's role involved centralizing command under Mullah Omar's authority, integrating Pashtun tribal levies with foreign Arab volunteers, and leveraging Pakistani logistical aid for cross-border reinforcements, though primary decision-making remained with the supreme leader.[11] Key operations under his oversight included the 1998 recapture of Mazar-i-Sharif on August 8, following a 1997 uprising that killed up to 3,000 Taliban fighters; this offensive, involving armored assaults and tribal alliances, extended regime control to over 90 percent of Afghan territory by 1999 and neutralized major opposition in the north.[14] Tactics prioritized mobility with Toyota-mounted infantry for hit-and-run raids evolving into sieges, supplemented by harsh reprisals against rebels to deter insurgency, though such methods drew international condemnation for civilian casualties exceeding 2,000 in Mazar alone.[15] In late 2001, amid U.S. invasion, Akhund coordinated defensive preparations, rejecting surrender overtures and ordering prolonged resistance in Kandahar, which delayed coalition advances but ultimately failed due to superior airpower and Northern Alliance ground pushes.[16] These efforts reflected a doctrine of ideological motivation over formal training, prioritizing loyalty and terrain familiarity, but exposed vulnerabilities in air defense and logistics against modern adversaries.[17]Insurgency Activities Post-2001
Role in the Taliban Revival
Following the Taliban's loss of power in December 2001, Obaidullah Akhund, as a close deputy to Mullah Omar and former defense minister, assumed a pivotal role in reorganizing the group's fragmented forces for insurgency. Operating primarily in southern Afghanistan, particularly around Kandahar, he directed remnants of Taliban fighters in initial guerrilla actions against U.S.-led coalition troops and emerging Afghan government allies, focusing on ambushes and disruptions to prevent the movement's complete dissolution.[18][11] Obaidullah's military expertise facilitated the transition from conventional defense to asymmetric tactics, coordinating operations that sustained Taliban presence in Pashtun-dominated areas despite overwhelming coalition advantages. He reportedly took direct command in locales like Hutal, rallying local commanders and fighters to mount resistance, which helped preserve core leadership networks and ideological cohesion amid retreats into Pakistan.[19][14] His efforts in the nascent phase of the insurgency laid foundational elements for later resurgence, though curtailed by his arrest on February 3, 2002, near Quetta, Pakistan, after crossing the border to evade capture. As a member of the Taliban's supreme council overseeing military affairs, Obaidullah's pre-capture activities exemplified the group's adaptive strategy, emphasizing hit-and-run engagements over fixed positions to exploit terrain and tribal loyalties.[1][11]