Gul Agha Sherzai
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Gul Agha Shirzai was the Governor of Kandahar Province in Afghanistan from 2001 until 2004, and is currently the Governor of Nangarhar Province.
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[edit] Actions During U.S. Invasion
His capture (with assistance from American special forces and airstrikes) of Kandahar city in late 2001 marked the first time territory in southern Afghanistan had been captured from the Taliban. In August 2003 President Hamid Karzai decreed that officials could no longer hold both military and civil posts, and replaced Gul Agha with Yusuf Pashtun as governor of Kandahar, but after much lobbying, Gul Agha was able to retain his governorship temporarily.
[edit] Personal History
Born Shafeeq to a poor ethnic Pastun restaurant owner, he took the name Gul Agha ("flower lord") when he joined his father in the Mujahideen against the Soviet invasion. After his father was murdered, he added the name Shirzai ("son of lion"). After the collapse of the PDPA government in 1991, Gul Agha served a governor of Kandahar from 1992 until 1994. His rule was reputed to be exceptionally bloody and vicious, even by Afghan warlord standards.
[edit] Political Career after Kandahar
In 2004, Sherzai was appointed Governor of Nangarhar Province, after a spell as "Special Advisor" to Hamid Karzai. Sherzai was removed as Kandahar Governor after criticisms of his warlord past, poor human rights record and suspected involvement in opium trafficking in the province. However, Sherzai is an important political ally of Karzai, and looks to play a role in Afghan politics for some time to come.
In July 2006, Sherzai narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at a funeral outside Jalalabad. The attempt killed five police officers and wounded several more people, including some children. He opened the newly built road connecting Jalalabad city with Afghanistan Pakistan border call Torkham with Afghan president Hamid Karzai and Pakistani prime minister Showkat Aziz. [1]. Local Taliban forces took credit for the attack.
| Preceded by None |
Governor of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan 2001–2004 |
Succeeded by ? |
| Preceded by ? |
Governor of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan 2004–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
[edit] Sources
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