Abdul Rasul Sayyaf
Abdul Rasul Sayyaf (/ɑːbˈduːl rəˈsuːl saɪˈjɑːf/ ⓘ ahb-DOOL rə-SOOL sy-YAHF; Pashto: عبدالرسول سیاف; born 1946) is an exiled Afghan politician and former mujahideen commander. He took part in the war against the Marxist–Leninist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) government in the 1980s, leading the Afghan mujahideen faction Ittehad-al-Islami (Islamic Union).
Abdul Rasul Sayyaf | |
|---|---|
Sayyaf in 1984 | |
| Born | 1946
(age 77–78) Paghman, Kabul Province, Kingdom of Afghanistan |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Known for | Afghan Jihad Opposition to the Taliban |
Compared to other Afghan mujahideen leaders, Sayyaf was closely tied with international mujahideen from the Arab world. During the Soviet-Afghan War he had close relations with Saudi Arabia and helped mobilize Arab jihadist volunteers for the mujahideen forces.
Internally, Sayyaf was allied with the Rabbani government in the 1990s until the rise of the Taliban militia; this led to him joining the Northern Alliance in opposition of the Taliban, despite his close relationship with Saudi Arabia that supported the Taliban. In 2005 after the creation of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Sayyaf's Islamic Union was converted into a political party and he was elected as a member of the Afghan Parliament, where he maintained political influence. Following the Taliban capture of Kabul in 2021, Sayyaf fled to exile in New Delhi, India.