Gul Haider
Encyclopedia
Gul Haider is a former mujahideen
commander and official in the ministry of defense of Hamid Karzai
's Afghan government.
of Afghanistan, Gul Haidar joined the forces of Ahmed Shah Massoud
at the age of 17, when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan
in 1979. While serving as one of Massoud's commanders, Gul Haidar lost a leg to a mine
, and Massoud sent him to London
to receive an artificial limb
, after which he returned to Afghanistan to continue the war.
During the Sieges of Kabul Gul Haidar controlled Gardana Kar-e Sakhi and lead the fighting that initially took place near the custom posts on the road to Jalalabad
. According to one witness he controlled 40 RPG-7
rocket launchers, 10 82mm mortar
s, 10 82mm artillery pieces and 40 PK machine gun
s.
In February–March 1993 he was known to control the Tapi-e Salaam area of Kabul as well where his forces fired mortars at the men of Ali Akbar Qasemi who was in the university area. According to one source he was manning the artillery at T.V. Mountain in three month rotations along with General Baba Jalandar.
After the fall of Kabul in 1996 he remained loyal to Massoud, and was instrumental in preventing the Taliban from taking the Panjshir valley.
in Eastern Afghanistan in March 2002. He was at the time the Ministry of Defense Commander for 4 southern provinces including Paktika, Paktya and Ghazni. Since then he has largely traded in his guns for business and has become quite successful. He currently owns a mansion in Shirpur, an area where lower class housing was demolished to make room for houses of government officials.
requested Haider as one of the witnesses who could refute the accusation that he was fired because he was suspected of collusion with anti-government forces. Haider was one of the members of a commission who recommended a promotion for Mujahid.
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
commander and official in the ministry of defense of Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
's Afghan government.
Military career
Born in the Panjshir ValleyPanjshir Valley
The Panjshir Province is a valley in north-central Afghanistan, 150 km north of Kabul, near the Hindu Kush mountain range. Located in the Panjshir Province it is divided by the Panjshir River...
of Afghanistan, Gul Haidar joined the forces of Ahmed Shah Massoud
Ahmed Shah Massoud
Ahmad Shah Massoud was a Kabul University engineering student turned military leader who played a leading role in driving the Soviet army out of Afghanistan, earning him the name Lion of Panjshir. His followers call him Āmir Sāhib-e Shahīd...
at the age of 17, when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
in 1979. While serving as one of Massoud's commanders, Gul Haidar lost a leg to a mine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
, and Massoud sent him to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to receive an artificial limb
Prosthesis
In medicine, a prosthesis, prosthetic, or prosthetic limb is an artificial device extension that replaces a missing body part. It is part of the field of biomechatronics, the science of using mechanical devices with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems to assist or enhance motor control...
, after which he returned to Afghanistan to continue the war.
During the Sieges of Kabul Gul Haidar controlled Gardana Kar-e Sakhi and lead the fighting that initially took place near the custom posts on the road to Jalalabad
Jalalabad
Jalalabad , formerly called Adinapour, as documented by the 7th century Hsüan-tsang, is a city in eastern Afghanistan. Located at the junction of the Kabul River and Kunar River near the Laghman valley, Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province. It is linked by approximately of highway with...
. According to one witness he controlled 40 RPG-7
RPG-7
The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...
rocket launchers, 10 82mm mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
s, 10 82mm artillery pieces and 40 PK machine gun
PK machine gun
The PK is a 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia. The PK machine gun was introduced in the 1960s and replaced the SGM and RPD machine guns in Soviet service...
s.
In February–March 1993 he was known to control the Tapi-e Salaam area of Kabul as well where his forces fired mortars at the men of Ali Akbar Qasemi who was in the university area. According to one source he was manning the artillery at T.V. Mountain in three month rotations along with General Baba Jalandar.
After the fall of Kabul in 1996 he remained loyal to Massoud, and was instrumental in preventing the Taliban from taking the Panjshir valley.
Post-Taliban
General Gul Haidar commanded up to 1000 Afghan troops fighting along side the Americans in the battles of Shah-e-KotOperation Anaconda
Operation Anaconda took place in early March 2002 in which the United States military and CIA Paramilitary Officers, working with allied Afghan military forces, and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization and non NATO forces attempted to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the Shahi-Kot...
in Eastern Afghanistan in March 2002. He was at the time the Ministry of Defense Commander for 4 southern provinces including Paktika, Paktya and Ghazni. Since then he has largely traded in his guns for business and has become quite successful. He currently owns a mansion in Shirpur, an area where lower class housing was demolished to make room for houses of government officials.
Relation with Abdullah Mujahid
Guantanamo detainee Abdullah MujahidAbdullah Mujahid
-Witnesses:Mujahid requested eight witnesses:* Said Mohammed Ali Shah - a Guantanamo detainee.* Haji Mohammed Aktiar - the Tribunal's President doesn't identify Aktiar any further, but assumes he is back in Afghanistan...
requested Haider as one of the witnesses who could refute the accusation that he was fired because he was suspected of collusion with anti-government forces. Haider was one of the members of a commission who recommended a promotion for Mujahid.