| Abdul Qayyum | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1973 (age 38–39) |
| Released | 2007 Pul-e-Charkhi prison |
| Citizenship | Afghanistan |
| Detained at | Guantanamo |
| Alternate name |
|
| ISN | 8 |
| Status | repatriated |
Abdul Qayyum "Zakir" (born c. 1973), alias Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul,[1][2] is a citizen of Afghanistan previously held in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba.[3] His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 8. JTF-GTMO analysts estimate he was born in 1973, in Helmand, He grew up in northern Afghanistan.[1]
The Times reports that he had been transferred from US custody in Guantanamo to Afghan custody in the American built wing of the Pul-e-Charkhi prison.[2] On March 9, 2009, the Department of Defense reported that he had emerged as a Taliban leader following his release.[4][5]
On March 4, 2010, the Associated Press reported he was under consideration to replace Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar as number two in the Taliban's chain of command, after his recent arrest in Pakistan.[6]
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On March 4, 2010, senior Afghan intelligence officials told the Associated Press that the captive known as "Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul" was really "Abdul Qayyum", and that Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul had been his father's name.[6] They reported his nom de guerre is "Qayyum Zakir". Anand Gopal reports that "Zakir" was the name used on the Taliban's radio network and that his real name is "Abdul Qayyum".[1]
After his transfer to Afghanistan, Zakir is reported to have been transferred to the American wing of the Pul-e-Charkhi prison.[2] The Times quoted United Kingdom Member of Parliament Patrick Mercer's surprise that Afghan authorities released Zakir.
Mercer, a member of the British Parliament's counter-terrorism subcommittee, said:
“The Americans presumably let him go from Guantánamo Bay in order for him to be kept in custody in Afghanistan. We need to know why the Afghan authorities released him.”
The Times also quoted Peter M. Ryan, an American lawyer who represented another former captive who had been held in Pul-e-Charkhi.[2] He described the Afghan review procedure in Pul-e-Charkhi as "chaotic", and more influenced by tribal politics than by guilt or innocence.
British officials believed Zakir became the Taliban's operations commander in southern Afghanistan soon after his release and blamed him for masterminding an increase in roadside attacks against British and American troops.[2]
The New York Times reported that Zakir led a December 2008-January 2009 delegation to the Pakistani Taliban to convince them to refocus their efforts away from the Pakistani government and towards the American-led forces in Afghanistan.
The Christian Science Monitor reported that Zakir was involved in the creation of the Taliban "rule book".[1]
On March 9, 2009, the Department of Defense reported that he had emerged as a Taliban leader following his release.[4][5]
On March 1, 2010, The News International reported that "Abdul Qayyum Zakir" was part of the Taliban's Quetta Shura, and that he had been captured in recent raids along with nine other leaders, the most senior of which was Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.[7] I addition to Baradar, the raids were reported to have captured Mullah Mir Muhammad, Mullah Abdul Salam Abdul Salam, Maulvi Abdul Kabir, Mullah Muhammad Hassan, Mullah Abdul Rauf, Mullah Ahmad Jan Akhundzada, Mullah Muhammad Younis.
On March 4, 2010, The Associated Press reported "two senior Afghan intelligence officials" claimed Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul had emerged to be a senior Taliban leader.[6][8]
A Newsweek article in mid-May, 2011 detailed Zakir's operations as military leader of the Taliban, operating in Quetta without Pakistani interference while organizing a major springtime offensive in Afghanistan.[9]
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