Abdullah Wardak
Encyclopedia
Mohammad Jan Abdullah Wardak (1954 or 1955 – 13 September 2008) was an Afghan
politician
and former Mujahideen
commander. He served as a government Minister
and Governor
of Logar Province.
, was born in the Wardak Province
of Afghanistan.
During the Soviet occupation
of Afghanistan he fought as a Mujahideen. He was aligned with Abdul Rasul Sayyaf
's Islamic Union for the liberation of Afghanistan party. When the Taliban came to power he fought against them as part of the Northern Alliance
. He fought alongside the American forces
in 2001, helping to overthrow the Taliban regime.
In December 2001, following the Bonn Agreement
, Abdullah Wardak was appointed Minister of Martyrs and Disabled in the Afghan Transitional Administration
of Hamid Karzai
. A position he held until a new Cabinet
was selected in December 2004 following the presidential election. In July 2007 he was appointed Governor of Logar Province, replacing Sayed Abdul Karim Hashimi
, who was perceived as being ineffective on counter-insurgency
measures.
In January 2005 Abdullah Wardak visited Evansville, Indiana
and spoke at the Bethel Temple Community Church. He spoke about the war in Afghanistan and how he was helping the church to open a school, an orphanage and a home for widows in Kabul
. He received the key to the city from Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel
.
and was being driven to his office. It was whilst his vehicle was crossing a dry river bed that a remote control
mine
was detonated. The car was destroyed and Abdullah Wardak, his driver and two bodyguard
s were killed. The attack happened at around 08:00 local time, approximately 300 yards from Abdullah Wardak's home. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid
said the bomb had been remotely detonated by two Taliban insurgents.
Abdullah Wardak is the second provincial Governor to be assassinated by the Taliban. The first was the Governor of Paktia Province
, Hakim Taniwal
in September 2006.
President Hamid Karzai condemned the assassination by "terrorists" and was said to be "deeply saddened" he described Abdullah Wardak as a "true son of Afghanistan". Zemarai Bashary a spokesman for the Interior ministry said "The Governor has been martyred".
On 14 September 2008 Abdullah Wardak's funeral
was held at the mosque
in Pajak village, Paghman District
, he was buried in the grounds of his home. The funeral was held amid tight security and attended by government officials and members of the United National Front
.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
politician
Politics of Afghanistan
The politics of Afghanistan consists of the Council of Ministers and the National Assembly, with a president serving as the head of state and commander-in-chief of the military. The nation is currently led by the Karzai administration under President Hamid Karzai who is backed by two vice...
and former Mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
commander. He served as a government Minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
and Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Logar Province.
Biography
Abdullah Wardak, an ethnic PashtunPashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
, was born in the Wardak Province
Wardak Province
Maidan Wardak Province is one of thirty four provinces of Afghanistan located in the central east region of Afghanistan. It has a population of approximately 540,100. The capital of the province is Maidan Shar...
of Afghanistan.
During the Soviet occupation
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
of Afghanistan he fought as a Mujahideen. He was aligned with Abdul Rasul Sayyaf
Abdul Rasul Sayyaf
Ustad Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf is an Afghan Islamist politician. He took part in the war against the PDPA government in the 1980s, leading the Mujahedin faction Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan....
's Islamic Union for the liberation of Afghanistan party. When the Taliban came to power he fought against them as part of the Northern Alliance
United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan
The United Islamic Front , known in the West and Pakistan as the Northern Alliance, was a military-political umbrella organization created by the Islamic State of Afghanistan in 1996 under the leadership of Defense Minister Ahmad Shah Massoud...
. He fought alongside the American forces
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
in 2001, helping to overthrow the Taliban regime.
In December 2001, following the Bonn Agreement
Bonn Agreement (Afghanistan)
Officially the Agreement on Provisional Arrangements in Afghanistan Pending the Re-Establishment of Permanent Government Institutions, the Bonn Agreement was the initial series of agreements intended to re-create the State of Afghanistan following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in response to the...
, Abdullah Wardak was appointed Minister of Martyrs and Disabled in the Afghan Transitional Administration
Afghan Transitional Administration
The Afghan Transitional Administration was the name of a temporary administration of Afghanistan put in place by the 2002 Loya Jirga and followed the Afghan Interim Administration which was installed after the Bonn Conference.-Background:Following the US Invasion in Afghanistan, a UN sponsored...
of Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
. A position he held until a new Cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
was selected in December 2004 following the presidential election. In July 2007 he was appointed Governor of Logar Province, replacing Sayed Abdul Karim Hashimi
Sayed Abdul Karim Hashimi
Sayed Abdul Karim Hashimi is an Afghan politician. He is a former Governor of Logar Province, he served from December 2005 to July 2007.- References :...
, who was perceived as being ineffective on counter-insurgency
Counter-insurgency
A counter-insurgency or counterinsurgency involves actions taken by the recognized government of a nation to contain or quell an insurgency taken up against it...
measures.
In January 2005 Abdullah Wardak visited Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
and spoke at the Bethel Temple Community Church. He spoke about the war in Afghanistan and how he was helping the church to open a school, an orphanage and a home for widows in Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
. He received the key to the city from Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel
Jonathan Weinzapfel
Jonathan Weinzapfel is the 33rd mayor of Evansville, Indiana. He was elected in November 2003 and again in 2007. He is currently serving a four-year term that began January 1, 2008...
.
Assassination
On the morning of 13 September 2008 Abdullah Wardak left his residence in PaghmanPaghman
Paghman is a town in the hills near Kabul, Afghanistan. See also Paghman Gardens. It is center of the Paghman District which has a total population of 120,000 people, and another 20,000 returnees are expected , of which 70% are Pashtuns and 30% Tajiks.. Paghman District is situated in the western...
and was being driven to his office. It was whilst his vehicle was crossing a dry river bed that a remote control
Remote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
mine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
was detonated. The car was destroyed and Abdullah Wardak, his driver and two bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
s were killed. The attack happened at around 08:00 local time, approximately 300 yards from Abdullah Wardak's home. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid
Zabiullah Mujahid
Zabiullah Mujahid is one of the self proclaimed spokesmen for the Taliban who is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan. He has acted as a media conduit between the isolationist rebel forces and Western media teams. He was interviewed with his back towards the TV camera in early 2009 by CNN reporter...
said the bomb had been remotely detonated by two Taliban insurgents.
Abdullah Wardak is the second provincial Governor to be assassinated by the Taliban. The first was the Governor of Paktia Province
Paktia Province
Paktia , is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the east of the country. Its capital is Gardez. The population is predominantly Pashtun.- History:...
, Hakim Taniwal
Hakim Taniwal
Hakim Taniwal was the Governor of Paktia province in Afghanistan until he was killed by a suicide bomber on 10 September 2006, at the age of 63...
in September 2006.
President Hamid Karzai condemned the assassination by "terrorists" and was said to be "deeply saddened" he described Abdullah Wardak as a "true son of Afghanistan". Zemarai Bashary a spokesman for the Interior ministry said "The Governor has been martyred".
On 14 September 2008 Abdullah Wardak's funeral
Islamic funeral
Funerals in Islam follow fairly specific rites, though they are subject to regional interpretation and variation in custom. In all cases, however, sharia calls for burial of the body, preceded by a simple ritual involving bathing and shrouding the body, followed by salah...
was held at the mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Pajak village, Paghman District
Paghman District
Paghman District is situated in the western part of Kabul Province, Afghanistan. It has a population of 120,000 people, and another 20,000 returnees are expected , of which 70% are Pashtuns and 30% Tajiks....
, he was buried in the grounds of his home. The funeral was held amid tight security and attended by government officials and members of the United National Front
United National Front (Afghanistan)
The Afghanistan National Front is a coalition of various political parties in Afghanistan.The group is as a broad coalition of former and current strongmen, commanders from the anti-Soviet resistance, ex-Communist leaders, and various social and ethnic groups....
.
External links
- http://isn-search.ethz.ch/cgi-bin/nato.cgi?q=Abdullah+Wardak&gr=off&x=40&y=17Abdullah Wardak at ISNInternational Relations and Security NetworkThe International Relations and Security Network is part of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology's Center for Security Studies, which is located in Zurich, Switzerland...
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