Colonel Imam
Encyclopedia
Colonel
Sultan Amir Tarar (died January 2011), best known as Colonel Imam, was a Pakistan Army
officer and special warfare operation specialist. He was a member of the Special Service Group (SSG) of the army, an intelligence officer
of the Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI) and served as Pakistani Consul General at Herat
, Afghanistan
. A veteran of the Soviet war in Afghanistan
, he is widely believed to have played a key role in the formation of the Taliban, after having helped train the Afghan Mujahidin on behalf of the United States in the 1980s
.
Colonel Imam, who was a commando
-guerrilla warfare
specialist, had trained Mullah Omar
and other Taliban factions. Colonel Imam remained active in Afghanistan's civil war until the 2001 United States led War on Terrorism
, and supported the Taliban publicly through media.
He was kidnapped along with fellow ISI officer Khalid Khawaja
, British journalist Asad Qureshi and Qureshi's driver Rustam Khan on March 26, 2010. Khawaja was killed a month later. Qureshi and Khan were released in September 2010. Imam was killed in January 2011.
(PMA) in Kakul (located near Abbottabad in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan), and of Fort Bragg
, North Carolina
, United States
. After his graduation from PMA, he joined the Pakistan Army
's 15th Frontier Force Regiment
as a 2nd Lieutenant. His unit was sent to the United States in 1974, and was trained shoulder-to-shoulder among with United States Army Special Forces
. Upon his graduation from the Special Forces School, he was awarded American Green Beret by his training commander. Following his return to Pakistan, Imam joined the Special Service Group (SSG). In the 1980s, he participated in Soviet war in Afghanistan
, notably the Battle for Hill 3234
. Colonel Imam was increasingly involved in Afghanistan
's politics even after the Soviet
withdrawal from Afghanistan
. After the Soviet-Afghan war, Colonel Imam supported and trained Taliban fighters independently. It was alleged even in the 2000s that he still independently supported the Taliban independence movement in Afghanistan. He was a disciple of Ameer Muhammad Akram Awan, the current sheikh of silsila Naqshbandia Owaisia.
Even when younger he wore a peculiar dress when off duty.It was composed of Shalwar Qameez which was long and a head gear.This dress is often worn by religious people of Pakistan.
He was according to some deeply respected amongst Afghan leaders unlike some other Pakistani leaders dealing with Afghanistan.
, Colonel Imam was invited to the White House by the then President George Bush Sr, and was given a piece of the Berlin Wall
with a brass plaque inscribed: "To the one who dealt the first blow." In the 2000s, Western intelligence agencies believed Imam was dead among a group of renegade officers from Pakistan's ISI
who continued to help the Taliban after Pakistan turned against them following the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Imam's initial objective, pre-taliban and post Mujahedin infighting after Soviet withdrawal were unclear and his objectives at that time were just to find new friends for Pakistan from where to operate later, such as Akhaundzada of Helmand who had a blood feud with Hikmatyar and was a warlord with 17000 men under command.
It was the claim of Col.Imam that Soviets when in Afghanistan had put a 200 million Afghani bounty on him. He also claimed that when he presented operational details to Aslam Baig after Gen.Zia's death about anti-soviet struggle, the later was surprised as to the extent.
. Khawaja's body was found near a stream in Karam Kot in April 2010 with a note attached saying he was with the CIA and ISI, about seven kilometres south of North Waziristan’s main town of Mirali. Qureshi and Khan were freed in September 2010.
He was murdered by Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP) Mehsud faction, as documented in a video. The video shows the group’s chief Hakimullah Mehsud
. Both the Haqqani network
and the Afghan Taliban were against the execution.
His captors used the name of "asian tigers" which was unusual for Taliban. This has led to numerous questions .
His travelling companion's association with Red Mosque incident whose planning and funding was unknown is believed to be significant.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Sultan Amir Tarar (died January 2011), best known as Colonel Imam, was a Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
officer and special warfare operation specialist. He was a member of the Special Service Group (SSG) of the army, an intelligence officer
Intelligence officer
An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile and/or analyze information which is of use to that organization...
of the Inter-Services Intelligence
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
(ISI) and served as Pakistani Consul General at Herat
Herat
Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan...
, Afghanistan
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...
. A veteran of the Soviet war in Afghanistan
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...
, he is widely believed to have played a key role in the formation of the Taliban, after having helped train the Afghan Mujahidin on behalf of the United States in the 1980s
Operation Cyclone
Operation Cyclone was the code name for the United States Central Intelligence Agency program to arm, train, and finance the Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet war in Afghanistan, 1979 to 1989...
.
Colonel Imam, who was a commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
-guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
specialist, had trained Mullah Omar
Mohammed Omar
Mullah Mohammed Omar , often simply called Mullah Omar, is the leader of the Taliban movement that operates in Afghanistan. He was Afghanistan's de facto head of state from 1996 to late 2001, under the official title "Head of the Supreme Council"...
and other Taliban factions. Colonel Imam remained active in Afghanistan's civil war until the 2001 United States led War on Terrorism
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
, and supported the Taliban publicly through media.
He was kidnapped along with fellow ISI officer Khalid Khawaja
Khalid Khawaja
Squadron Leader Khalid Khawaja was a former Air Force officer, and the former Air Force's intelligence officer of the Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence agency....
, British journalist Asad Qureshi and Qureshi's driver Rustam Khan on March 26, 2010. Khawaja was killed a month later. Qureshi and Khan were released in September 2010. Imam was killed in January 2011.
Education and military career
Imam was a graduate of Pakistan Military AcademyPakistan Military Academy
The Pakistan Military Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service military academy. It is located at Kakul near Abbottabad in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan....
(PMA) in Kakul (located near Abbottabad in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan), and of Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. After his graduation from PMA, he joined the Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
's 15th Frontier Force Regiment
Frontier Force Regiment
For Pakistan's Border Guard see: Frontier CorpsThe Frontier Force Regiment is one of six Infantry regiments in the Pakistan Army. At present, the regiment consists of 67 battalions and has its regimental depot at Abbottabad in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. For that reason Abbottabad is also known as Home of...
as a 2nd Lieutenant. His unit was sent to the United States in 1974, and was trained shoulder-to-shoulder among with United States Army Special Forces
United States Army Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...
. Upon his graduation from the Special Forces School, he was awarded American Green Beret by his training commander. Following his return to Pakistan, Imam joined the Special Service Group (SSG). In the 1980s, he participated in Soviet war in Afghanistan
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...
, notably the Battle for Hill 3234
Battle for Hill 3234
The Battle for Hill 3234 was a defensive battle and successful military campaign fought by 345th Soviet paratroopers in Afghanistan against a force of 200 to 250 Mujahideen rebels...
. Colonel Imam was increasingly involved in Afghanistan
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...
's politics even after the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
withdrawal from Afghanistan
Soviet troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
The Withdrawal of Soviet combatant forces from the Afghanistan began on May 15, 1988 and successfully executed on February 15, 1989 under the leadership of Colonel-General Boris Gromov who also was the last Soviet general officer to walk from the Asfghanistan back into Soviet territory through the...
. After the Soviet-Afghan war, Colonel Imam supported and trained Taliban fighters independently. It was alleged even in the 2000s that he still independently supported the Taliban independence movement in Afghanistan. He was a disciple of Ameer Muhammad Akram Awan, the current sheikh of silsila Naqshbandia Owaisia.
Even when younger he wore a peculiar dress when off duty.It was composed of Shalwar Qameez which was long and a head gear.This dress is often worn by religious people of Pakistan.
He was according to some deeply respected amongst Afghan leaders unlike some other Pakistani leaders dealing with Afghanistan.
Relationships with United States
After the dissolution of the Soviet UnionDissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
, Colonel Imam was invited to the White House by the then President George Bush Sr, and was given a piece of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
with a brass plaque inscribed: "To the one who dealt the first blow." In the 2000s, Western intelligence agencies believed Imam was dead among a group of renegade officers from Pakistan's ISI
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
who continued to help the Taliban after Pakistan turned against them following the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Authentic knowledge about Colonel Imam
Little is known of Amir Sultan Tarar's true history or operational profile as an agent of the ISI. Most information about 'Colonel Imam' was generated by his own admission, as well as news media speculation. Pakistan's secrecy over internal and external security, plus the code of conduct of Pakistan Armed Forces personnel serving in sensitive institutions, prevents such details from being available or verifiable. In 2010, however, he gave interviews to foreign and domestic journalists in Rawalpindi.Imam's initial objective, pre-taliban and post Mujahedin infighting after Soviet withdrawal were unclear and his objectives at that time were just to find new friends for Pakistan from where to operate later, such as Akhaundzada of Helmand who had a blood feud with Hikmatyar and was a warlord with 17000 men under command.
It was the claim of Col.Imam that Soviets when in Afghanistan had put a 200 million Afghani bounty on him. He also claimed that when he presented operational details to Aslam Baig after Gen.Zia's death about anti-soviet struggle, the later was surprised as to the extent.
Kidnapping and Murder
Imam's captors refuse to release his body to his family unless a ransom is paid. Last year in March, Colonel (R) Imam, former ISI officer Khalid Khawaja, journalist Asad Qureshi and Qureshi's driver Rustman Khan were abducted by an unknown militant group which called itself Asian TigersAsian Tigers
The Asian Tigers is a Pakistani militant group, first publicised when they claimed credit for the kidnapping of former Pakistani intelligence officers Khalid Khawaja, Colonel Imam, British journalist Asad Qureshi and Qureshi's driver Rustam Khan in March 2010. Khawaja was killed in April 2010....
. Khawaja's body was found near a stream in Karam Kot in April 2010 with a note attached saying he was with the CIA and ISI, about seven kilometres south of North Waziristan’s main town of Mirali. Qureshi and Khan were freed in September 2010.
He was murdered by Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan , alternatively referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, is an umbrella organization of various Islamist militant groups based in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border in Pakistan. Most, but not all, Pakistani Taliban groups coalesce under the TTP...
(TTP) Mehsud faction, as documented in a video. The video shows the group’s chief Hakimullah Mehsud
Hakimullah Mehsud
Hakimullah Mehsud , born c. 1979 as Jamshed Mehsud and also known as Zulfiqar Mehsud , is the amir of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan...
. Both the Haqqani network
Haqqani network
The Haqqani Network is an insurgent group fighting against US-led NATO forces and the government of Afghanistan. Originating from Afghanistan during the mid-1970s, it was nurtured by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence during the 1980s Soviet war in...
and the Afghan Taliban were against the execution.
His captors used the name of "asian tigers" which was unusual for Taliban. This has led to numerous questions .
His travelling companion's association with Red Mosque incident whose planning and funding was unknown is believed to be significant.