Ministry of Defense (Afghanistan)

The Ministry of Defense (Dari: وزارت دفاع ملی, Wizārat-e Difā'-e Millī, Pashto: د ملي دفاع وزارت, Də Millī Difā' Wizārat) is the cabinet ministry of Afghanistan responsible for overseeing the military of Afghanistan (currently the Islamic Emirate Armed Forces). The ministry is located in Kabul.[3]

Ministry of Defense
Dari: وزارت دفاع ملی
Pashto: د ملي دفاع وزارت
Emblem of the Ministry of Defense of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Department overview
JurisdictionGovernment of Afghanistan
HeadquartersKabul
34.523938°N 69.186437°E / 34.523938; 69.186437
Minister responsible
Deputy Minister responsible
Department executives
  • Muhammad Ali Akhund, Director of Intelligence[1]
  • Qari Lutfullah "Habibi", Spokesperson[2]
Child Department
Websitemod.gov.af/en
Politics of Afghanistan
Constitution
Government
Judiciary
Law enforcement
Administrative divisions
Elections
Foreign relations
flag Afghanistan portal

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan period

From the 30th of April until 9 August 1978, Abdul Qadir succeeded the slain Ghulam Haidar Rasuli as Defense Minister of the DRA, responsible for the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, until being succeeded by General Aslam Watanjar. In 1990 forces loyal to Minister of Defense Shahnawaz Tanai and Hezbi Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar attempted a fail coup against then President Najibullah. His forces were thwarted by General Aslam Watanjar who was rewarded the post of Minister of Defence.

Watanjar would be the last Minister of Defense of the DRA/ROA.[4][5][6] The government collapsed in 1992.

Islamic Republic period

During the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004–2021), the defense minister was nominated by the President of Afghanistan and the National Assembly made the final approval.

One of the functions of the Defense Ministry during that period was the continuance of disarming insurgent groups, through programmes such as the Afghan New Beginnings Programme (which included the rehabilitation and reintegration of child soldiers). These militant groups coalesced from warlords and former army personnel after the collapse of the Najibullah government in 1992.[7]

List of ministers
Portrait Name Took office Left office Political affiliation
Sayyid Husayn January 1929 March 1929 Saqqawist
Purdil Khan March 1929 October 1929 Saqqawist
Amanul Mulk[lower-alpha 1] c. 1944 c. 1946 Unknown
Mohammad Daoud Khan 1946 1948 Independent
Abdul Karim Mustaghni 1973 1977 Republican
(from 1974)
Ghulam Haidar Rasuli 1977 April 1978 Republican
Abdul Qadir 27 April 1978 17 August 1978 PDPA
Nur Muhammad Taraki 17 August 1978[8] 1 April 1979 PDPA
Mohammad Aslam Watanjar 1 April 1979 28 July 1979 PDPA
Hafizullah Amin July 1979 27 December 1979[lower-alpha 2] PDPA
Mohammed Rafie 28 December 1979 1982 PDPA
Abdul Qadir 1982 September 1984 PDPA
Nazar Mohammad September 1984 1986 PDPA
Mohammed Rafie December 1986 May 1988 PDPA
Shahnawaz Tanai May 1988 March 1990[lower-alpha 3] PDPA
Mohammad Aslam Watanjar March 1990 April 1992 PDPA
Ahmad Shah Massoud 28 April 1992 9 September 2001 Jamiat-e Islami
Obaidullah Akhund April 1997 9 September 2001 Taliban
Mohammed Fahim 9 September 2001 23 December 2004 Jamiat-e Islami
Abdul Rahim Wardak 23 December 2004 7 August 2012 Mahaz-e-Milli-ye Islami
Enayatullah Nazari 8 August 2012 15 September 2012 Jamiat-e Islami
Bismillah Khan Mohammadi 15 September 2012 24 May 2015 Jamiat-e Islami
Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai 24 May 2015 20 June 2016 Independent
(Military)
Abdullah Habibi 20 June 2016 24 April 2017 Independent
(Military)
Tariq Shah Bahramee 24 April 2017 23 December 2018 Independent
(Military)
Asadullah Khalid 23 December 2018 25 July 2020 Ittehad-e Islami
Shahmahmood Miakhel 25 July 2020 19 March 2021 Independent
(Military)
Yasin Zia 19 March 2021 19 June 2021 Independent
(Military)
Bismillah Khan Mohammadi 19 June 2021[10] 15 August 2021 Jamiat-e Islami
Abdul Qayyum Zakir
(acting)		 24 August 2021 7 September 2021 Taliban
Mullah Yaqoob
(acting)		 7 September 2021[11] Incumbent Taliban

Notes
  1. Rebel defence minister in the Eastern Province, during the 1944–47 tribal revolts.
  2. Assassinated by Soviet special forces during the Operation Storm-333.[9]
  3. Dismissed following the 1990 Afghan coup d'état attempt.

See also

References
  1. "د اسلامي امارت په تشکیلاتو کې نوي کسان پر دندو وګومارل شول". باختر خبری آژانس. October 4, 2021.
  2. "سخنگوی وزارت دفاع ملی معرفی شد | وزارت دفاع ملی". mod.gov.af.
  3. "Afghanistan gets 'mini-Pentagon' as troops struggle". Associated Press. June 12, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  4. Burns, John F. (10 May 1990). "Kabul Journal; in Power Still, Afghan Can Thank His 4-Star Aide". The New York Times.
  5. Crossette, Barbara (21 March 1990). "Failed Kabul Coup Changes Opinions". The New York Times.
  6. "Archives". Los Angeles Times.
  7. Bhatia, Michael; Sedra, Mark (2008). Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed groups, disarmament, and security in a postwar society. Abingdon: Routledge. pp. 122–123. ISBN 978-0-415-47734-5.
  8. Bradsher, Harry (1999). Afghan Communism and Soviet Intervention. Oxford University Press. pp. 35–36. ISBN 0195790170.
  9. "How Soviet troops stormed Kabul palace". BBC. 27 December 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  10. "Afghan president replaces security ministers amid Taliban advance". 2021-06-19.
  11. "Taliban announce new government for Afghanistan". BBC News. 2021-09-07. Archived from the original on 2021-09-07. Retrieved 2021-09-07.


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