Abdullah Gulam Rasoul
Encyclopedia
Abdul Qayyum "Zakir" alias Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul, is a citizen of Afghanistan
previously held in the United States
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
s, in Cuba
.
His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 8.
JTF-GTMO analysts estimate he was born in 1973, in Helmand, He grew up in northern Afghanistan.
The Times
reports that he had been transferred from US custody in Guantanamo to Afghan custody in the American built wing of the Pul-e-Charkhi prison
.
On March 9, 2009, the Department of Defense reported that he had emerged as a Taliban leader following his release.
On March 4, 2010, the Associated Press
reported he was under consideration to replace Mullah
Abdul Ghani Baradar
as number two in the Taliban's chain of command, after his recent arrest in Pakistan
.
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". Anand Gopal reports that "Zakir" was the name used on the Taliban's radio network and that his real name is "Abdul Qayyum".
.
The Times quoted United Kingdom
Member of Parliament
Patrick Mercer
's surprise that Afghan authorities released Zakir.
Mercer, a member of the British Parliament's counter-terrorism subcommittee, said:
The Times also quoted Peter M. Ryan, an American lawyer who represented another former captive who had been held in Pul-e-Charkhi.
He described the Afghan review procedure in Pul-e-Charkhi as "chaotic", and more influenced by tribal politics than by guilt or innocence.
British officials believed Zakir became the Taliban's operations commander in southern Afghanistan soon after his release and blamed him for masterminding an increase in roadside attacks against British and American troops.
The New York Times reported that Zakir led a December 2008-January 2009 delegation to the Pakistani Taliban to convince them to refocus their efforts away from the Pakistani government and towards the American-led forces in Afghanistan.
The Christian Science Monitor reported that Zakir was involved in the creation of the Taliban "rule book".
On March 1, 2010, The News International
reported that "Abdul Qayyum Zakir" was part of the Taliban's Quetta Shura, and that he had been captured in recent raids along with nine other leaders, the most senior of which was Mullah
Abdul Ghani Baradar
.
I addition to Baradar, the raids were reported to have captured
Mullah Mir Muhammad,
Mullah Abdul Salam Abdul Salam,
Maulvi
Abdul Kabir
,
Mullah Muhammad Hassan
,
Mullah Abdul Rauf,
Mullah Ahmad Jan Akhundzada,
Mullah Muhammad Younis.
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.
A Newsweek article in mid-May, 2011 detailed Zakir's operations as military leader of the Taliban, operating in Quetta without Pakistani interference while organizing a major springtime offensive in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
previously held in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq...
s, in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 8.
JTF-GTMO analysts estimate he was born in 1973, in Helmand, He grew up in northern Afghanistan.
The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
reports that he had been transferred from US custody in Guantanamo to Afghan custody in the American built wing of the Pul-e-Charkhi prison
Pul-e-Charkhi prison
Pul-e-Charkhi , also known as Afghan National Detention Facility, is the largest prison in Afghanistan east of Kabul. Construction of the jail began in the 1970s by order of former president Mohammed Daoud Khan and was completed during the 1980s...
.
On March 9, 2009, the Department of Defense reported that he had emerged as a Taliban leader following his release.
On March 4, 2010, the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported he was under consideration to replace Mullah
Mullah
Mullah is generally used to refer to a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. The title, given to some Islamic clergy, is derived from the Arabic word مَوْلَى mawlā , meaning "vicar", "master" and "guardian"...
Abdul Ghani Baradar
Abdul Ghani Baradar
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar , also called Mullah Baradar Akhund or Mullah Brother, is a co-founder of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan and an Afghan Taliban leader. The deputy of Mullah Mohammed Omar and leader of the militant Quetta Shura in Pakistan, Baradar was largely seen as the de facto...
as number two in the Taliban's chain of command, after his recent arrest in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Inconsistent identification
On March 4, 2010, senior Afghan intelligence officials told the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
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". Anand Gopal reports that "Zakir" was the name used on the Taliban's radio network and that his real name is "Abdul Qayyum".
- He was named Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul on most of the documents published by the Department of Defense.
- He was named MullahMullahMullah is generally used to refer to a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. The title, given to some Islamic clergy, is derived from the Arabic word مَوْلَى mawlā , meaning "vicar", "master" and "guardian"...
Y Abdhullah on the Summary of Evidence memoSummary of Evidence (ARB)Counter-terrorism analysts prepared a Summary of Evidence memo for the Administrative Review Board hearings of approximately 460 captives in the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba from December 2004 to December 2005.-Release of the memos:...
prepared for his 2007 annual Administrative Review BoardAdministrative Review BoardThe Administrative Review Board is a United States military body that conducts an annual review of the suspects held by the United States in Camp Delta in the United States Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba....
.
Post-transfer activity
After his transfer to Afghanistan, Zakir is reported to have been transferred to the American wing of the Pul-e-Charkhi prisonPul-e-Charkhi prison
Pul-e-Charkhi , also known as Afghan National Detention Facility, is the largest prison in Afghanistan east of Kabul. Construction of the jail began in the 1970s by order of former president Mohammed Daoud Khan and was completed during the 1980s...
.
The Times quoted United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Patrick Mercer
Patrick Mercer
Patrick John Mercer OBE is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom, representing the constituency of Newark in Parliament. He is a frequent commentator on defence and security issues having served as infantry officer in the British Army and held the position of Shadow Minister for...
's surprise that Afghan authorities released Zakir.
Mercer, a member of the British Parliament's counter-terrorism subcommittee, said:
The Times also quoted Peter M. Ryan, an American lawyer who represented another former captive who had been held in Pul-e-Charkhi.
He described the Afghan review procedure in Pul-e-Charkhi as "chaotic", and more influenced by tribal politics than by guilt or innocence.
British officials believed Zakir became the Taliban's operations commander in southern Afghanistan soon after his release and blamed him for masterminding an increase in roadside attacks against British and American troops.
The New York Times reported that Zakir led a December 2008-January 2009 delegation to the Pakistani Taliban to convince them to refocus their efforts away from the Pakistani government and towards the American-led forces in Afghanistan.
The Christian Science Monitor reported that Zakir was involved in the creation of the Taliban "rule book".
Claims he has become a Taliban leader
On March 9, 2009, the Department of Defense reported that he had emerged as a Taliban leader following his release.On March 1, 2010, The News International
The News International
The News International , published in tabloid size, is the largest English language newspaper in Pakistan. The News has an ABC certified circulation of 140,000. It is published from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad...
reported that "Abdul Qayyum Zakir" was part of the Taliban's Quetta Shura, and that he had been captured in recent raids along with nine other leaders, the most senior of which was Mullah
Mullah
Mullah is generally used to refer to a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. The title, given to some Islamic clergy, is derived from the Arabic word مَوْلَى mawlā , meaning "vicar", "master" and "guardian"...
Abdul Ghani Baradar
Abdul Ghani Baradar
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar , also called Mullah Baradar Akhund or Mullah Brother, is a co-founder of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan and an Afghan Taliban leader. The deputy of Mullah Mohammed Omar and leader of the militant Quetta Shura in Pakistan, Baradar was largely seen as the de facto...
.
I addition to Baradar, the raids were reported to have captured
Mullah Mir Muhammad,
Mullah Abdul Salam Abdul Salam,
Maulvi
Maulvi
Mawlawi is an honorific Islamic religious title given to Sunni Muslim religious scholars or Ulema preceding their names, similar to the titles Maulana, Mullah, or Shaykh. Mawlawi generally means highly-qualified Islamic scholar...
Abdul Kabir
Abdul Kabir
Maulavi Mohammed Abdul Kabir is a senior member of the Taliban leadership.The United Nations reports that he was Second Deputy of the Taliban's Council of Ministers; Governor of Nangarhar Province; and Head of the Eastern Zone....
,
Mullah Muhammad Hassan
Muhammad Hassan
Sultan Muhammad Hassan was the ninth Sultan of Brunei.His elder son, Sultan Jalilul Akbar, is the ancestor of Sultan Hj...
,
Mullah Abdul Rauf,
Mullah Ahmad Jan Akhundzada,
Mullah Muhammad Younis.
On March 4, 2010, The Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported "two senior Afghan intelligence officials" claimed Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul had emerged to be a senior Taliban leader.
A Newsweek article in mid-May, 2011 detailed Zakir's operations as military leader of the Taliban, operating in Quetta without Pakistani interference while organizing a major springtime offensive in Afghanistan.
External links
- Who are 'the worst of the worst'? Andy Worthington