Abdur Razzaq (Taliban official) explained

Abdur Razzaq Akhundzada
Birth Date:1958
Birth Place:Spin Boldak District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan
Nationality:Afghan
Occupation:Politician, Taliban member
Known For:Quetta Shura Member

Mullah Abdur Razzaq Akhundzada (born 1958) is a Pashtun politician who served as the Interior Minister of Afghanistan in 2001.[1] He served as the governor of Herat in 1997[2] and is believed to be a member of the Taliban leadership. He is rumoured to belong to the Achakzai tribe, from a family of Jalaludin village, Spin Boldak District, Kandahar Province; it is also claimed that he is in fact not an Afghan, but is a Pakistani national.[3]

Abdul Razzaq traveled to Pakistan in mid-May 2000 to discuss the extradition of criminals, terrorism, drug trafficking and the Afghanistan–Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement.[4] Pakistan demanded the closure of 18 Afghan training camps, where Pakistani militants were believed to be receiving training.

Razzaq was captured in an uprising in Mazar-i-Sharif but later escaped.

The British paper The Scotsman reported that Razzaq was a founding member of the Taliban; that he headed the Taliban's customs department; and was later interior minister. The article further alleged that Razzaq was the number two in a then new Taliban military command structure.[5]

References

  1. News: Taliban appears to be regrouped and well-funded: A new hierarchy of leaders has emerged across parts of Afghanistan.. May 8, 2003. Scott Baldauf, Owais Tohid . The Christian Science Monitor. 2007-02-27.
  2. Book: Adamec . Ludwig W. . 2012 . Historical dictionary of Afghanistan . 4th . The Scarecrow Press . Lanham, Md. . 16 . 978-0-8108-7815-0.
  3. Web site: Akhond, Abdul Razaq Mullah. Afghan Biographies.
  4. Background paper on Refugees and Asylum Seekers from Afghanistan . . April 2001 . February 27, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061121111301/http://www.unhcr.org/publ/RSDCOI/3af8027f13.pdf . November 21, 2006 . dead .
  5. News: Russia funding resurgent Taliban. Ian Mather . May 11, 2003. The Scotsman. 2007-02-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20070211065424/http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=538552003. 11 February 2007 . live.