Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (1949-) is an independent warlord in Afghanistan, who was an early member, and now factional leader, of the Islamic Party of Afghanistan Hezb-e-Islami, a Sunni fundamentalist group that fought the Soviets; he controls "HIG" or "Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin." He is an ethnic Pashtun. Historically, he has been part of many alliances, but wants control. At various times, he has been allied with or fought the Taliban. The U.S. designated him a terrorist in 2003. [1]
He was a student leader at Kabul University in the 1970s. Before he became involved in Islamic movements, he was in the PDPA (People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan or Afghan communist party comprising both Parchami and Khalqi groups. Today, he is insulted by references to it, as he left and affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and espoused the work of Sayyid Qutb.[2] While he is addressed as Engineer, he did not finish a degree due to his imprisonment. [3]
With support from Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence as early as 1970,[4] The Central Intelligence Agency provided indirect funding, [5] as did the Saudis.[6] Pakistan wanted an ethnic Pashtun in charge of Afghanistan, he controlled the party by 1989 and was prime minister between 1992 and 1996. Pakistan withdrew their support. [7]
He is one of the suspects in the 1989 assassination of Abdullah Azzam, which has never been solved.
He was a bitter rival of Ahmad Shah Massoud and the Northern Alliance, and Pakistan supported him against them. They dropped support for him in 1994.
As the Soviets left, he first fought the government, with forces including Arabs and Pakistanis. By late 1992, he allied with former enemies Abdul Rashid Dostum and Hezbi Wahdat. While he had rejected coalitions when the Soviets left, claiming the interim government was "unislamic", he served as Prime Minister in 1993-1994 and in 1996, leaving Kabul with the rise of the Taliban. Losing to the Taliban in 1997, he took refuge in Iran, but returned on the side of the Taliban after the U.S. invasion in 2001. [8]
In 2006, Hezb-e-Islami held 34 seats in the Afghan assembly, and claim to have broken with Hekmatyar. [9]
At present, he is believed to be either in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan, or in Bajaur in Pakistan. [10]
A U.S. representative has been reported to have met with his deputy, Daud Abedi, to explore ways in which he might help end the conflict. [8]
Gulbuddin's relatives
Some of Gulbuddin's relatives have served, or are suspected of serving as his deputies.
| name | relation | role | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shahabuddin Hekmatyar | brother | Arrested due to his ties with Gulbuddin in August 2008.[11][12] Released in January 2009.[13] Released in January 2009.[13] | |
| Abdullah Shabab | son | Captured in 2007.[13] | |
| Salahuddin | son | Captured in 2007 and released in 2009.[13] | |
| Habib-ur-Rahman | son | spokesman | Gave interviews describing Gulbuddin's position in peace negotiations in 2010.[14] |
| Ghairat Baheer | son-in-law | A medical doctor who spent four years in CIA custody.[15][16][17][18][19] | |
| Jamal Jamaluddin Hikmatyar | son | Founded the Youths Reforming Organization.[20] | |
| Firoz Feroz Hekmatyar | son | diplomat | Represented the HiG at a peace conference in the Maldives in 2010.[21] |
| Ahktar Muhammed | brother | Gulbuddin's brother.[22] | |
| Houmayoun Jarir Jareer | in-law | Either Gulbuddin's son-in-law, or the son-in-law of Ahktar Muhammed, Gulbuddin's brother.[22] | |
| Habibullah Shahab | nephew | Born in 1995, he was killed by a US airstrike on April 21, 2011.[23] He was reported to have played a role in "the jihad against US Forces". |
- ↑ U.S. State Department (February 20, 2003), US Designates Gulbuddin Hekmatyar a 'Global Terrorist', http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2003-02/a-2003-02-20-9-US.cfm?moddate=2003-02-20
- ↑ Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin (HIG), Institute for the Study of War, April 21, 2009, http://www.understandingwar.org/print/663
- ↑ Omid Marzban (September 21, 2006), "Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: From Holy Warrior to Wanted Terrorist", Terrorism Monitor, Jamestown Federation, http://www.jamestown.org/programs/gta/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=909&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=181&no_cache=1
- ↑ "Gulbuddin Hekmatyar", Historycommons, http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=gulbuddin_hekmatyar
- ↑ Steve Coll (2004), Ghost Wars: the Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001, Penguin, p. 67
- ↑ Gretchen Peters (2009), Seeds of Terror: How Heroin is Bankrolling the Taliban and al Qaeda, St. Martin's, ISBN 0312379277, pp. 34-35
- ↑ David C. Isby (May 19, 2005), "Trojan Horse or Genuine Schism? The Hezb-e-Islami Split", Terrorism Monitor, Jamestown Foundation, http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=387
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Ben Farmer (April 8, 2009), "US in talks with Taliban ally", Daily Telegraph (Calcutta, India), http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090409/jsp/foreign/story_10796733.jsp
- ↑ Wahidullah Amani (April 6, 2006), Hezb-e-Islami of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has 34 members in the lower house of parliament, ARR No. 210, Institute for War & Peace Reporting, http://www.rawa.org/gulo-parliament.htm
- ↑ Bill Roggio (May 5, 2009), "Major fighting in Afghanistan's east and west", Long War Journal, http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/05/major_fighting_in_af.php
- ↑ "Police arrest Hekmatyar's brother". Quqnoos News Service. 2008-08-17. Archived from the original on 2009-04-28. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fquqnoos.com%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D138&date=2009-04-29.
- ↑ "Hekmatyar’s brother ‘detained’". Dawn (Pakistan). 2008-08-17. Archived from the original on 2009-04-29. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dawn.com%2F2008%2F08%2F18%2Fnat3.htm&date=2009-04-29.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Govt releases brother of Hekmatyar". The News International. 2009-01-13. http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=157018. Retrieved 2010-05-22. "His other son, Abdullah Shahab, who was held by the US forces in Kunar province of Afghanistan two years back is still languishing in the heavily guarded Bagram Prison in Afghanistan."
- ↑ "Hekmatyar willing for cease-fire if coalition forces stay within main bases". Sify. 2010-11-18. http://www.sify.com/news/hekmatyar-willing-for-cease-fire-if-coalition-forces-stay-within-main-bases-news-international-klsnOfcddbf.html. Retrieved 2011-12-11. "The BBC quoted Habib-ur-Rahman, son of Hezb-e-Islami chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, as saying that his father was willing to give up fighting, and added that a ceasefire was also possible while US troops remained in Afghanistan, ‘If they remain in their bases, then we will not attack them.’" mirror
- ↑ Amber Hildebrandt (2011-09-27). [http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/09/26/canadian-egyptian-detainee-bagram.html "Detained Canadian a 'casualty of war on terror': Questions raised about delay in consular help Posted: Sep 27, 2011 5:18 AM ET"]. CBC News. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/09/26/canadian-egyptian-detainee-bagram.html. Retrieved 2011-09-27. mirror
- ↑ Adam Goldman, Kathy Gannon (2010-03-28). "Death shed light on CIA ‘Salt Pit’ near Kabul: Handling of terror suspect led to inquiry by agency's inspector general". MSN. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36071994/ns/us_news-security/t/death-shed-light-cia-salt-pit-near-kabul/#.ToISmuzp6Tk. Retrieved 2011-09-27. mirror
- ↑ Adam Goldman, Kathy Gannon (2010-04-06). "CIA prisoner said to have once rescued Karzai: Suspected insurgent froze to death while in U.S. custody in 2002". MSN. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36197753/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/t/cia-prisoner-said-have-once-rescued-karzai/#.ToISwezp6Tk. Retrieved 2011-09-27. "Rahman was captured about three weeks before his death in a raid in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad against Hezb-e-Islami, an Afghan insurgent group led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, which was believed to have ties to al-Qaida. Rahman was arrested along with Hekmatyar's son-in-law, Dr. Ghairat Baheer." mirror
- ↑ "Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s spokesman and son-in-law freed in Kabul: He was taken for meetings with President Karzai". RAWA. 2008-05-30. http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2008/05/30/gulbuddin-hekmatyar-8217-s-spokesman-and-son-in-law-freed-in-kabul.html. Retrieved 2011-09-27. mirror
- ↑ "Bahir, Dr. Ghairat Baheer". Database - Who is who in Afghanistan?. 2011-02-27. http://www.afghan-bios.info/index.php?option=com_afghanbios&id=291&task=view&total=1&start=0&Itemid=2. Retrieved 2011-12-12. mirror
- ↑ "Hekmatyar, Jamal Jamaluddin Hikmatyar". Database - Who is who in Afghanistan?. 2011-04-15. http://www.afghan-bios.info/index.php?option=com_afghanbios&id=669&task=view&total=2386&start=812&Itemid=2. Retrieved 2011-12-12. mirror
- ↑ "Hekmatyar, Firoz Feroz". Database - Who is who in Afghanistan?. 2011-04-15. http://www.afghan-bios.info/index.php?option=com_afghanbios&id=667&task=view&total=2381&start=804&Itemid=2. Retrieved 2011-12-12. mirror
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Jareer, Houmayoun Jarir". Database - Who is who in Afghanistan?. 2010-07-11. http://www.afghan-bios.info/index.php?option=com_afghanbios&id=772&task=view&total=2367&start=921&Itemid=2. Retrieved 2011-12-12. mirror
- ↑ "Shahab, Habibullah". Database - Who is who in Afghanistan?. 2011-04-15. http://www.afghan-bios.info/index.php?option=com_afghanbios&id=2111&task=view&total=2176&start=1797&Itemid=2. Retrieved 2011-12-12. mirror
