Obaidullah Akhund
Encyclopedia
Mullah
Obaidullah, the Akhund (Pashto
: ) was the defence minister
under the Taliban government in Afghanistan
and later became an insurgent commander during the war
with the United States
and its allies. He was reported captured by Pakistan
i security forces on March 2, 2007. Obaidullah was born in the Panjwai district of Kandahar Province
, Afghanistan.
, the leader of the Taliban. He is seen as the "number three" man in the Taliban. In late 2001 or early 2002, Obaidullah surrendered to Northern Alliance
troops, but was released as part of an amnesty. He was one of the main military leaders in 2003, and was named to the Mujahideen Shura Council
. It is believed that he was one of the Taliban leaders closest to Osama bin Laden
. 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.
, which is located in Balochistan
, near the Afghan border. The Taliban denied that he has been captured. Obaidullah is the most senior Taliban official captured since the 2001 U.S. led invasion
of Afghanistan. The arrest coincided with U.S. Vice-President
Dick Cheney
's visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan in late February 2007, but the timing has been reported to be a coincidence rather than a reaction to Cheney's visit.
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.
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"...
Obaidullah, the Akhund (Pashto
Pashto language
Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...
: ) was the defence minister
Defence minister
A defence minister is a person in a cabinet position in charge of a Ministry of Defence, which regulates the armed forces in some sovereign nations...
under the Taliban government 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...
and later became an insurgent commander during the war
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and its allies. He was reported captured by 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...
i security forces on March 2, 2007. Obaidullah was born in the Panjwai district of Kandahar Province
Kandahar Province
Kandahar or Qandahar is one of the largest of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in southern Afghanistan, between Helmand, Oruzgan and Zabul provinces. Its capital is the city of Kandahar, which is located on the Arghandab River. The province has a population of nearly...
, Afghanistan.
Taliban
Mullah Obaidullah Akhund was the Defense Minister of Afghanistan, and the second of three top deputies to Mullah OmarMohammed Omar
Mullah Mohammed Omar , often simply called Mullah Omar, is the leader of the Taliban movement that operates in Afghanistan. He was Afghanistan's de facto head of state from 1996 to late 2001, under the official title "Head of the Supreme Council"...
, the leader of the Taliban. He is seen as the "number three" man in the Taliban. In late 2001 or early 2002, Obaidullah surrendered to Northern Alliance
United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan
The United Islamic Front , known in the West and Pakistan as the Northern Alliance, was a military-political umbrella organization created by the Islamic State of Afghanistan in 1996 under the leadership of Defense Minister Ahmad Shah Massoud...
troops, but was released as part of an amnesty. He was one of the main military leaders in 2003, and was named to the Mujahideen Shura Council
Mujahideen Shura Council (Afghanistan)
Operating chiefly in Waziristan and the FATA, the Mujahideen Shura Council was a “10-member committee of tribal elders, clerics and administration officials” set up to negotiate processes between the Pakistani government and Taliban forces....
. It is believed that he was one of the Taliban leaders closest to Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
. Abdul Latif Hakimi
Abdul Latif Hakimi
Mullah Abdul Latif Hakimi, also known as Latif Hakimi or Hakim Latifi, was a purported spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan.Hakimi first claimed a suicide bombing on 28 January 2004, that killed a British soldier in Kabul....
, who was captured by Pakistan in 2005, said that Obaidullah was one of two people with direct access to Mullah Omar
Mohammed Omar
Mullah Mohammed Omar , often simply called Mullah Omar, is the leader of the Taliban movement that operates in Afghanistan. He was Afghanistan's de facto head of state from 1996 to late 2001, under the official title "Head of the Supreme Council"...
, and that Obaidullah had personally ordered insurgent attacks, including the killing of a foreign-aid official in March 2005.
Capture
Obaidullah was captured by Pakistani Forces on February 26, 2007, in the city of QuettaQuetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
, which is located in Balochistan
Balochistan (region)
Balochistan or Baluchistan is an arid, mountainous region in the Iranian plateau in Southwest Asia; it includes part of southeastern Iran, western Pakistan, and southwestern Afghanistan. The area is named after the numerous Baloch tribes, Iranian peoples who moved into the area from the west...
, near the Afghan border. The Taliban denied that he has been captured. Obaidullah is the most senior Taliban official captured since the 2001 U.S. led invasion
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
of Afghanistan. The arrest coincided with U.S. Vice-President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
's visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan in late February 2007, but the timing has been reported to be a coincidence rather than a reaction to Cheney's visit.
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.