Jamil al-Rahman

During the 1970s, he joined the Islamist Muslim Youth movement led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. In 1978, as a member of Hekmatyar's Hezbi Islami, he journeyed between Kunar and Pakistan, organizing attacks against the Khalq regime, including the killing of a Khalqi schoolteacher. In 1979, after the insurgency had taken hold in Kunar, Jamil al-Rahman became the amir of Hezbi Islami in that province. In order to gain control of the insurgency, he worked to undermine independent mujahideen fronts.[3] In the summer of 1979, he played a controversial role in the mutiny of Afghan Army troops at Asmar, with most of the parties involved blaming him for the failure of the uprising. The soldiers, who had intended to join the mujahideen, eventually dispersed, and their weapons were sold by Hezbi Islami in Pakistan.[4]

In 1985 (or 1986–1987, depending on sources[5]) he established his own movement known as the Jama'at al Da'wa ila al Qur'an wa-Sunna.[6] This group, theologically close to the Jamiat Ahle Hadith,[5] was known for its harsh treatment of civilians in government-controlled areas.[7] Due to his personal background and the proximity of the Bajaur Agency where many Arab militants were active, Jamil al-Rahman was able to secure funding from Saudi Arabia (reportedly from King Fahd himself)[5] and Kuwait, allowing him to operate independently. Many Arab volunteers, in particular Egyptians, joined his movement.[2][5] They later established the Islamic Emirate of Kunar, before being overthrown by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

Al-Rahman’s death shocked the Saudi royal family, Grand Mufti Bin Baz, and the broader Saudi religious establishment.[10] In spite of his many enemies, al-Rahman’s murder reverberated throughout the Salafi mujahideen community, and his death and the subsequent dissolution of the Islamic Emirate of Kunar was major topic of discussion in Salafi mujahideen communities for years to come. Not long after al-Rahman’s assassination, the state that he founded disappeared.[1]