Morghab, Afghanistan
Encyclopedia
Bala Murghab, Afghanistan (also called Morghab) is a village
in Badghis Province
in north western Afghanistan
. It is the district center for the Murghab District, and home of FOB
Todd.
kandak responsible for northern Herat and Badghis. Rumored to be involved in narcotics trafficking, Amir Shah controls Tajik militias in Qades and has close relatives spread across the provincial government and in particular the security forces. His brother is the police chief of Moqur district. Another brother, Wali Shah Naibzada is a senator, and an uncle is the chief of the Criminal Information Department (CID) police unit, with another uncle heading the Ministry of Finance.
There are accounts of Naibzada committing atrocities in Pashtun communities throughout Badghis including the rape and murder of 20-40 Pashtun women in Akazai in 2002 when he was police chief. Not only is Amir Shah the commander of the Bala Murghab mafia, he is half-Pashtun on his mother’s side and he recently sponsored a benefit for the father of Mohammad Amin, the former district governor, connecting himself with the Pashtuns in Murghab District.
Murder and corruption charges were brought against Amir Shah. However, once the word of the charges reached Kabul, Amir Shah used his power and personal connections in Parliament to nullify the allegations in Badghis. Around 50 elders from Bala Murghab waited months to speak with Karzai about Amir Shah’s severe corruption. Karzai’s alleged answer was, “I can’t change him.”
kisses his hand. This may be in part due to the popular idea that he lived in the wild with the Kuchi tribes of
the region. It is said the Kuchi believed he was born of a great rock that fell from the sky into the Sigma Mountain, and that they revered him as a holy man and miracle worker.
Rumored to have been a coalition operative, some have speculated that his presence in the valley was a ruse on the part of coalition forces to infiltrate the Taliban infrastructure. The primary purpose behind this was allegedly to get closer to and assassinate Ghulam Dastagir (a Taliban instigator who'd been released from prison and escaped to the remote Morghab region). After Dastagir was killed in the spring of 2009 (on official record as by a coalition air strike), Waliz wasn't seen again. It is said that he lived within FOB Todd. Most believe he has since left the valley. It's said that he fathered many children during his time there.
pronounce western names, he is known to call all coalition service members in the valley "Jacques".
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Badghis Province
Badghis Province
Bādghīs is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in northwestern Afghanistan, between the Murghab and Hari rivers, extending as far northward as the edge of the desert of Sarakhs. It includes the Chul formations through which the Turkmen-Afghan boundary runs...
in north western 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...
. It is the district center for the Murghab District, and home of FOB
Forward Operating Base
A forward operating base is any secured forward military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support tactical operations. A FOB may or may not contain an airfield, hospital, or other facilities. The base may be used for an extended period of time. FOBs are traditionally supported...
Todd.
Colonel Amir Shah Naibzada, Afghan Border Patrol
One of the most controversial political figures in the province, Amir Shah Naibzada, is the commander of the ABPAfghan Border Police
The Afghan Border Police secure Afghanistan's border and international airports. The ABP is also responsible to administer the country's immigration process and administer customs regulations. The ABP's anti-narcotic efforts are a prominent concern to the international community at present...
kandak responsible for northern Herat and Badghis. Rumored to be involved in narcotics trafficking, Amir Shah controls Tajik militias in Qades and has close relatives spread across the provincial government and in particular the security forces. His brother is the police chief of Moqur district. Another brother, Wali Shah Naibzada is a senator, and an uncle is the chief of the Criminal Information Department (CID) police unit, with another uncle heading the Ministry of Finance.
There are accounts of Naibzada committing atrocities in Pashtun communities throughout Badghis including the rape and murder of 20-40 Pashtun women in Akazai in 2002 when he was police chief. Not only is Amir Shah the commander of the Bala Murghab mafia, he is half-Pashtun on his mother’s side and he recently sponsored a benefit for the father of Mohammad Amin, the former district governor, connecting himself with the Pashtuns in Murghab District.
Murder and corruption charges were brought against Amir Shah. However, once the word of the charges reached Kabul, Amir Shah used his power and personal connections in Parliament to nullify the allegations in Badghis. Around 50 elders from Bala Murghab waited months to speak with Karzai about Amir Shah’s severe corruption. Karzai’s alleged answer was, “I can’t change him.”
Haji Mulawi Ramazan
From the Buzi tribe, the very influential Mulawi Ramazan does not openly support the Taliban. He is considered a spiritual leader in the Bala Murghab region. His village is Nowabad, of which he is the elder. He was said to have been the driving force behind the temporary peace treaty in early 2009.Haji Mullah Ramatullah (Mullah Rahmat)
The district governor before Mohammad Amin, Mullah Ramatullah, is the spiritual leader in the Murghab River Valley and a very influential person. Mullah Ramatullah is such a powerful person, it is said that the youth will kiss his hand. Further, he has the ability to act as a facilitator between disparate groups. He is from Pa’in Panerak Village.Zaqari Waliz
An influential spiritual and political figure in the Morghab river valley between the years 2008 and 2009. Little is known about his ethnic background or region of origin. Waliz is such a powerful person, it is said that Mullah Rahmatkisses his hand. This may be in part due to the popular idea that he lived in the wild with the Kuchi tribes of
the region. It is said the Kuchi believed he was born of a great rock that fell from the sky into the Sigma Mountain, and that they revered him as a holy man and miracle worker.
Rumored to have been a coalition operative, some have speculated that his presence in the valley was a ruse on the part of coalition forces to infiltrate the Taliban infrastructure. The primary purpose behind this was allegedly to get closer to and assassinate Ghulam Dastagir (a Taliban instigator who'd been released from prison and escaped to the remote Morghab region). After Dastagir was killed in the spring of 2009 (on official record as by a coalition air strike), Waliz wasn't seen again. It is said that he lived within FOB Todd. Most believe he has since left the valley. It's said that he fathered many children during his time there.
Sharifullah Sharif
Sharif is an interpreter working in Bala Murghab. He is from an ambiguous mountain tribe of goat herders. Unable topronounce western names, he is known to call all coalition service members in the valley "Jacques".