List of Taliban leaders

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See also: List of alleged Al-Qaida members

Contents

[edit] Leaders, Ministers and Deputy Ministers

Leaders, Ministers and Deputy Ministers (italicized and bold name indicates captured or killed by U.S.-coalition forces)
Name Position Situation
Mullah Mohammed Omar Emir of Afghanistan; Head of the Taliban Movement At large
Mullah Mohammad Rabbani Chairman of the Ruling Council; Head of the Council of Ministers Died in Pakistan of liver cancer, April 2001
Mullah Mohammad Hasan First Deputy Council of Ministers At large; spoke to Reuters by satellite telephone from an undisclosed location on May 4, 2003
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir Second Deputy Council of Ministers At large
Abdul Wakil Muttawakil Minister of Foreign Affairs Surrendered to US troops in 2002; released in 2003; ran for Afghan parliament in 2005.
Abdul Rahman Zahed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Allegedly created an impression that he entered Pakistan after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, but had returned before the end of 2001 to his home village in Loghar province[1]; at large
Mullah Abdul Jalil Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs At large
Mullah Ubaidullah Akhund Minister of Defense Captured by Pakistani forces, late Feb. 2007 [2]
Mullah Abdul Razaq Minister of Interior Affairs Afghan forces captured Razaq while scouring a rugged mountainous region north of Kandahar, April 1, 2003.[3] Razaq's son, Abdul, had been killed on September 5, 2002 as he tried to shoot President Hamid Karzai
Mullah Khaksar Akhund Deputy Minister of Interior Affairs Staged a public press conference in Kabul, late November, 2001 and denounced the Taliban; by August 2002, he supports the U.S.-backed Afghan government of Hamid Karzai[4]; at large
Mohammad Sharif Deputy Minister of Interior Affairs At large
Qari Ahmadullah Minister of Security (Intelligence) Killed in late December, 2001 by a U.S. bombing raid in the Paktia province [5]
Mullah Nooruddin Turabi Minister of Justice Allegedly sheltered in Quetta by Pakistani officials by the end of 2001 [1]; captured by U.S. forces and then set free and given general amnesty in early January 2002 [6][7]
Qari Din Mohammad Minister of Planning At large
Amir Khan Muttaqi Minister of Culture & Information Allegedly moved to Peshawar, Pakistan before the end of 2001 and still "hiding out in the Pakistani frontier" March 19, 2002 [1][8]; still at large
Mullah Ghausuddin Foreign Minister Killed in a gun battle in Zabul province, May 27, 2003 [9]
Mullah Abbas Akhund Minister of Health In February 2002, he was "hiding with his military force about 5 miles from Uruzgan village" [10]; at large
Sher Abbas Stanekzai Deputy Minister of Health At large
Mullah Abdul Salam Haqqani Minister of Education At large
Mullah Yar Mohammad Minister of Communication At large
Alla Dad Tayeb Deputy Minister of Communication At large
Alhaj Mullah Mohammad Isa Akhund Minister of Mines and Industries At large
Mawlawi Mohammadullah Mati' Minister of Public Works At large
Mawlawi Rostam Nuristani Deputy Minister of Public Works At large
Hafez Mohibullah Minister of Haj and Religious Affairs At large
Mawlawi Moslim Haqqani First Deputy Council of Ministers At large
Mawlawi Abdul Raqib First Deputy Council of Ministers Unknown (is he the same Abdul Raqib as the official from the agriculture department in 2003? [1])
Mullah Mohammad Jan Akhund Minister of Water and Electricity At large
Mawlawi Faiz Mohammad Faizan Deputy Minister of Commerce At large
Mawlawi Abdul Hakim Monib Deputy Minister of Frontier Affairs At large
Mawlawi Shahid Khel Deputy Minister of Education Captured in Afghanistan in early April 2003
Sattar Sadozai "A key intelligence official" Captured in Afghanistan in early April 2003
Zabihullah Zahid Deputy Minister of Education Arrested in Balkh province, Afghanistan in early August 2003


[edit] Governors

Governors
Name Position Situation
Mullah Niaz Mohammad Governor of Kabul Province At large
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir Governor of Nangrahar Province; Head of Eastern Zone; (also see above) Allegedly moved to Peshawar, Pakistan before the end of 2001 [2]
Mawlawi Khair Mohammad Khairkhwah Governor of Herat Province At large
Mawlawi Nurullah Nuri Governor of Balkh Province; Head of Northern Zone In December 2001, he was captured and known to be in Mazar-I Sharif in the custody of Afghan Northern Alliance commander Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum [3]; whereabouts now unknown
Na'im Kucki Governor of Bamian Province At large
Commander Bahsir Baghlani Governor of Baghlan At large
Commander Arif Khan Governor of Kunduz Province Assassinated in Pakistan April, 2000
Mawlawi Shariqullah Mohammadi Governor of Khost Province At large
Mawlawi Ahmad Jan Governor of Zabul Province At large
Mullah Dost Mohammad Governor of Ghazni Province At large
Mullah Badar Governor of Badghis Province Captured by Afghan forces in the province of Badghis in early April 2003

[edit] Other high ranking officials, ambassadors and envoys abroad


Other high ranking officials, ambassadors and envoys abroad
Name Position Situation
Noor Mohammad Saqib Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Allegedly moved to Peshawar, Pakistan before the end of 2001 [4]; arrested January 30, 2002 near Quetta by Pakistani authorities [5]; whereabouts now unknown
Abdul Rahman Agha Chief Justice of the Military Court At large
Mawlawi Mohammed Qalamuddin Head of the Vice and Virtue Ministry Allegedly captured April 17, 2003, in Logar province, Afghanistan
Sayed Mohammad Haqqani Ambassador to Pakistan At large
Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi Envoy to United States Currently a student at Yale University [6]
Abdul Hakim Mujahid Envoy to the United Nations Arrived in Pakistan in early December 2001 [7]
General Rahmatullah Safi Envoy to Europe At large
Akhtar Mohammad Mansour Head of Aviation In early October, 2001, reports alleged that he was killed during air raids by U.S.-British forces [8]
Hammdidullah, aka Janat Gul Head of Ariana Afghan Airlines Surrendered November 24, 2001 east of Konduz[11] . Status later established by a Combatant Status Review Tribunal as "no longer enemy combatant" and released[12].
Aljah Mullah Sadruddin Mayor of Kabul City Unknown
Mawlawi Abdul Hai Motma'in Spokesman in Kandahar At large
Toorak Agha Ex-Governor of Paktia Province At large
Mullah Baradar ? At large


[edit] Field commanders

Field commanders
Name Position Situation
Mullah Fazel Mohammad Mazloom Chief of Staff
Mullah Dadullah  ?
  • Escaped from the siege of Kunduz in November 2001 and reached Kandahar. Took part in the evacuation of Kandahar, then may have returned to his native town Kajai in Helmand province [10]. Allegedly participated (by giving orders via cell phone) in the murder of Ricardo Munguia on March 27, 2003.
  • He was nicknamed by the anti-Taliban resistance before the Taliban government fell as the Lame Englishman because he a) lost a leg in the jihad and because b) he's as cunning as the devilish English.
  • One of the most effective commanders in the resistance, he has been linked to massacres of Shi'a, the scorched earth policy of Shi'a villages in 2001 (which he boasted about once on the radio), the summary execution of men suspected of throwing hand grenades into his compound in 2001 (they were hanged at one of the main roundabouts), and suicide bombings.
  • Killed in a clash with the Afghan and allied forces in Helmand province on the May 13, 2007.
Mawlawi Nanai  ? At large
Mullah Ahmadullah  ?  ?
Mawlawi Habibullah Ershad Commander of Shamali front At large
Jalaluddin Haqqani Described as Taliban's current military leader
  • First mujahideen commander to capture a city, Khost, from the Soviets, in 1991.[13]
  • Didn't ally with the Taliban until after their capture of Kabul in 1995.
  • Hamid Karzai asked him to serve as Prime Minister, in an attempt to split off the Taliban's moderate wing.
Abdul Razaq Nafez  ?
Juma Khan Military commander
  • Captured by Afghan forces in the province of Badghis in early April 2003
Mullah Shahzada provincial commander
  • Interviewed by the New York Times in Pakistan, in 2003.[14]
  • Later reports, apparently based on the NYT article, additionally claimed he was captured in 2001, sent to Guantánamo, released 2003, killed in US raid on Taliban in late May 2004. But the only Shahzada held in Guantanamo wasn't captured until 2003, and wasn't released until 2005. There is no evidence that the Guantanmo detainee named Shahzada was ever a member of the Taliban, or that he had enrolled in the Taliban following his release.
Mullah Haji Amir militia commander Killed in US raid on Taliban in late May 2004
Mullah Tohr Maqid militia commander Killed in US raid on Taliban in late May 2004
Mullah Muhammad Hasan Rehmani militia commander At large
Baitullah Mehsud field commander
Sakhi Dad Mujahid field commander
  • Taliban commander of Southern and Western Afghanistan circa winter 2004.
  • Brother-in-law of Mullah Omar.
  • Captured through his use of a Thuraya satellite phone.
Gul Mohammed Jangvi field commander
Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani field commander Killed in U.S. airstrike in December 2006. Confirmed dead by Taliban officials. [13]
Mullah Abdul Zahir group commander Killed in the U.S. airstrike that killed Osmani in December of 2006 [14]

[edit] Other Taliban members of note

Other Taliban members of note
David Matthew Hicks The "Australian Talib"
  • Captured during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
John Walker Lindh The "American Talib"
Yasser Esam Hamdi U.S. born Taliban member
  • Captured during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and held in a naval brig in Norfolk, Virginia until 2004. He was deported to Saudi Arabia in October 2004.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Former minister says fugitive Taliban leaders living life of luxury in Pakistan, The Guardian, December 24, 2001
  2. ^ 'Taleban leader held' in Pakistan, BBC News, March 2, 2007
  3. ^ Fresh fighting in Afghanistan, BBC, April 2, 2003
  4. ^ Paras on alert for storming of Kandahar, The Telegraph, November 25, 2001
  5. ^ Taleban spy chief 'killed in raid', BBC, January 3, 2002
  6. ^ US begins transferring terror prisoners to Cuban base: Gunfire errupts as plane with al-Qaida members takes off, Boston Globe, January 10, 2002
  7. ^ High-Ranking Taliban Leaders Surrender, Are Set Free, Fox News, January 9, 2002
  8. ^ Taliban Vow Revenge, CBS News, March 19, 2002
  9. ^ Taliban commander killed in Afghanistan, Daily Times, May 28, 2003
  10. ^ How the U.S. Killed the Wrong Afghans, Time (magazine), February 6, 2002
  11. ^ Taliban in north surrender in droves, CNN, November 24, 2001
  12. ^ Guantanamo Bay Detainees Classifed as "No Longer Enemy Combatants", Washington Post
  13. ^ Through the eyes of the Taliban, Asia Times, May 5, 2004
  14. ^ Revived Taliban making waves in northern Pakistan, New York Times, May 7, 2003