Abdul Qadir (Afghan leader)

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Abdul Qadir Arsala
Alternate name(s): Haji Abdul Qadir

Hajji Abdul Qadir Arsala (c. 1951 in Jalalabad, Afghanistan-July 6, 2002 in Kabul, Afghanistan) (Arabic: الحاج عبد القادر) was a former leader in the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan. He was the brother of Abdul Haq, a Pashtun leader executed by the Taliban. Qadir was governor of his home province of Nangarhar before the Taliban gained power and retook the position after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. He was also alleged to have significant connections with those engaged in Afghanistan's opium poppy trade. [1][2]


Qadir joined with two other leaders, Hazrat Ali and Hajji Mohammed Zaman, to form the Eastern Shura.[3] Qadir accompanied Hamid Karzai on a trip to Bonn in the fall of 2001, to back his leadership of Afghanistan.

Asia Times reports that Qadir was a central figure controlling the growth and export of heroin, and that he had links to the CIA.[1]

Afghan president Karzai nominated Qadir to be the third vice-president of the government, and Minister of Public Works; as a prominent member of the transitional government, Qadir was backed by the United States. On July 6, 2002, Qadir and his son-in-law were killed by gunmen in a surprise attack with unknown motive. In 2004, one man was sentenced to death and two others to prison sentences for the killing.[4]

Qadir's family was a traditionally powerful one, with ties to former king Zahir Shah.[1]

Abdul Qadir's son Zahir Qadir is a military leader in Hamid Karzai's government.[5][6][7]

Another of his sons, Haji Mohammed Zaher, was shot dead in Kabul, in 2002.

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[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Syed Saleem Shahzad. "A body blow to U.S.", Asia Times, July 9, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-12-31. 
  2. ^ Meena Baktash. "Abdul Qadir: Key leader in Afghan struggle", The Guardian, July 8, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-12-31. 
  3. ^ Pepe Escobar. "Taking a spin in Tora Bora", Asia Times, December 7, 2001. Retrieved on 2007-12-31. 
  4. ^ "Afghanistan", US Department of State, February 28, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-12-19. 
  5. ^ "A year of living on the edge", The Guardian, October 6, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-12-31. 
  6. ^ "Pak seals border temporarily following shootout in Afghanistan", Outlook India, November 8, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-12-19. 
  7. ^ "Border clashes open new Afghan front line", The Telegraph, July 18, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-12-19. 

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