Abdul Qayyum Zakir

Abdul Qayyum "Zakir" (nom de guerre Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul;[1][2] born 1973) 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, and grew up in northern Afghanistan.[1]

Abdul Qayyum
Born1973 (age 47–48)
Released2007
Pul-e-Charkhi prison
CitizenshipAfghanistan
Detained atGuantanamo
Alternate nameAbdul Qhulam Rasoul
Abdullah Zakir
Qayyum Zakir
Y Abdhullah
ISN8
StatusRepatriated to Afghanistan, released and became senior leader in the Taliban

The Times reports that he was transferred from US custody in Guantanamo to Afghan custody, in the American built wing of the Pul-e-Charkhi prison, from where he was subsequently released.[2]

Following his release, Zakir rose through the ranks of the Taliban, running military operations in Helmand Province before becoming the Taliban's overall military commander. In 2014 he stepped down, reportedly following an internal leadership dispute.[4]

Inconsistent identification

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.[5] 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]

Post-transfer activity

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]

Taliban leadership

On March 9, 2009, the Department of Defense reported that he had emerged as a Taliban leader following his release.[6][7]

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.[8] In 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, and that he was under consideration to replace Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar as number two in the Taliban's chain of command, after the recent arrest of the latter in Pakistan.[5][9]

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.[10]

The Wall Street Journal reported in April 2014 that Zakir had stepped down as the Taliban's chief military commander, in part because of tensions with other Taliban leaders who did not share his opposition to peace talks by the Taliban with the Afghan Government. A statement from the Taliban reported that Zakir had stepped down due to "ill health".[4] Zakir was succeeded by Ibrahim Sadar. Following his removal, an Afghan official claimed that Mullah Zakir had been placed under house arrest by Pakistani Intelligence, though the Taliban denied the claim.[11]

References
  1. Anand Gopal (2010-04-30). "Qayyum Zakir: The Taliban's Rising Mastermind". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  2. Michael Evans, Catherine Philp (2009-03-13). "Afghans pressed to explain release of Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul". The Times. London. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
  3. "List of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from January 2002 through May 15, 2006" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. 2006-05-15. Retrieved 2006-05-15.
  4. "Afghan Taliban's Chief Military Commander Steps Down". The Wall Street Journal. 26 April 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.(subscription required)
  5. Kathy Gannon (2010-03-04). "Former Gitmo detainee said running Afghan battles". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04. Abdul Qayyum is also seen as a leading candidate to be the next No. 2 in the Afghan Taliban hierarchy, said the officials, interviewed last week by The Associated Press.
  6. Pamla Hess (2009-03-11). "Officials: Taliban ops chief once held at Gitmo". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 16 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-12.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. "Ex-detainee 'now Taliban commander'". Associated Press. 2009-03-11. Archived from the original on 2009-03-12. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
  8. Amir Mir (2010-03-01). "Pakistan wipes out half of Quetta Shura". The News International. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04. According to well-informed diplomatic circles in Islamabad, the decision-makers in the powerful Pakistani establishment seem to have concluded in view of the ever-growing nexus between the Pakistani and the Afghan Taliban that they are now one and the same and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Quetta Shura Taliban (QST) could no more be treated as two separate Jihadi entities.
  9. "Ex-Gitmo detainee now a Taliban commander". Daily Times. 2010-03-04. Archived from the original on 2010-03-09. A man who was freed from the Guantanamo Bay after he claimed he only wanted to go home and help his family is now a senior commander running Taliban resistance to the US-led offensive in southern Afghanistan, two senior Afghan intelligence officials said.
  10. The Taliban After Bin Laden, Newsweek, Ron Moreau, May 15, 2011
  11. "Afghan Taliban Appoint New Military Commander". The Wall Street Journal. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.(subscription required)
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