Ismail Khan

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Ismail Khan
Ismail Khan
Afghanistan

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Ismail Khan (b. 1946) was a Mujahedin commander, later the Governor of Herat Province in Afghanistan and is now the Minister of Energy for Afghanistan. He has been involved with the political organization Jamiat-e-Islami, an Islamic party.

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[edit] Resistance in the Soviet Era

Ismail Khan assessing troops during the anti-Soviet jihad.
Ismail Khan assessing troops during the anti-Soviet jihad.

In March 1979 Khan was a Major in the Afghan army based in the western city of Herat. He led the Herat garrison in a revolt against Russian political advisors based in Herat. The Afghan communist government led by Nur Mohammed Taraki responded, pulverizing the city using Russian supplied bombers and killing an estimated 24,000 citizens in less than a week. This event marked the opening salvo of the rebellion which led to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979.Ismail Khan escaped to the countryside where he started to assemble a rebel army, which was widely supported by the population of Herat[1]. During the ensuing war, he became the leader of the western command of Burhanuddin Rabbani's Jamiat-e-Islami. With Ahmed Shah Massoud, he was one of the most respected Mujahideen leaders. [2]. In 1992, two years after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Mujahideen captured Herat, and Ismail Khan became Governor.

[edit] Resistance in the Taliban Era

In 1995, he successfully defended his province against the Taliban, in cooperation with Massoud. He even attacked the Taliban sronghold of Kandahar, but was repulsed. Later, an ally of the Jamiat, Uzbek General Abdul Rashid Dostum changed sides, and attacked Herat. Ismail Khan was forced to flee to Iran with 8,000 men and the Taliban took over Herat. Two years later, while organising opposition to the Taliban in Faryab area, he was betrayed and captured by Abdul Malik, then one of Dostum's deputies, who had switched to the Taliban's side[2]. Then in March 1999 he escaped from Kandahar prison. During the US intervention in Afghanistan, he fought against the Taliban, within the Afghan Northern Alliance and thus regained his position as Governor of Herat.

[edit] Post-Taliban Era

During his tenure as Governor, Ismail Khan ruled his province like a private fiefdom. This has led to increasing tensions with the Afghan Transitional Administration. In particular, he has refused to pass on to the government the revenues gained from custom taxes on goods from Iran and Turkmenistan. This money has been used to rebuild Herat after the war, but also to maintain his personal army[3].

The United States, who support Hamid Karzai, have viewed Ismail Khan's ties with Iran with concern, and advocated ousting him. [4].

A poster of Yaser Sadeq, one of Ismail Khan's sons, in Herat, 2005
A poster of Yaser Sadeq, one of Ismail Khan's sons, in Herat, 2005

In March 2004, the central government sent units of it's newly trained Afghan National Army to assert its authority over Herat. This led to clashes with Ismail Khan's men during which 100 people were killed. Among these was Ismail Khan's son, Mirwais Sadiq, then Minister of Civil Aviation. Under constant pressure both from the government and local rivals, Ismail Khan was sacked in September 2004. As a conciliatory gesture, President Karzai appointed him as Minister of Energy in his cabinet.

[edit] Controversy

Ismail Khan is a controversial figure. Reporters Without Borders has charged him with muzzling the press and ordering attacks on journalists[5]. Also Human Rights Watch has accused him of human rights abuses[6].

Nevertheless, he remains a popular figure in Afghanistan. There are several reasons for this. First of all, unlike other Mujahideen commanders, Khan has not been linked to large-scale massacres and atrocities such as those committed after the capture of Kabul in 1992[2]. Moreover, during his Governorship, Herat province has enjoyed relative peace and prosperity. Herat is traditionally a trading city, and generally regarded as the most prosperous in Afghanistan. With the money drawn from customs revenues, Khan has rebuilt much of the damage done by the Soviets and the Taliban. He has repaved roads, rebuilt schools and provided opportunities for small businesses to flourish, earning himself the gratitude of the Heratis. His popularity can be ascertained by the fact that, at the news of his dismissal, rioting broke out in the streets of Herat[3].

[edit] Testimony requested by a Guantanamo captive

A Guantanamo captive requested Ismail Khan's testimony, when he was called before a Combatant Status Review Tribunal.[7] Ismail Khan, like Afghan Minister of Defense Rahim Wardak, was one of the high profile Afghans that those conducting the Tribunals ruled were "not reasonably available" to give a statement on a captive's behalf because they could not be located.

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars. pg 40. 2004, Penguin Books.
  2. ^ a b c Ismail Khan, Herat, and Iranian Influence by Thomas H. Johnson, Strategic Insights, Volume III, Issue 7 (July 2004)[1]
  3. ^ a b Profile: Ismail Khan, BBC News(September 2004)
  4. ^ Why Bush’s Afghanistan problem won’t go away, Seymour M. Hersh, The New Yorker(2004-04-12)
  5. ^ http://www.hrea.org/lists/hr-media/markup/msg00103.html
  6. ^ Afghanistan: Torture and Political Repression in Herat, John Sifton(November 5, 2002)
  7. ^ Brett Murphy]]. "Guantanamo Bay detainees not given access to witnesses despite availability", Sunday, June 18, 2006.

[edit] External links

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