Abdul Qayyum Zakir
Abdul Qayyum "Zakir" (born 1973), also known by the nom de guerre Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul, is the acting Deputy Minister of Defense of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. He previously served as the acting Defense Minister, from 24 August 2021 to 7 September 2021.
Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir | |||||||||||||
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| ملا عبدالقیوم ذاکر | |||||||||||||
| Deputy Minister of Defence | |||||||||||||
Acting | |||||||||||||
| Assumed office 21 September 2021 | |||||||||||||
| Leader | Hibatullah Akhundzada | ||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Hasan Akhund (acting) | ||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Mohammad Fazl (acting) | ||||||||||||
| Minister of Defence | |||||||||||||
| In office 24 August 2021 – 7 September 2021 | |||||||||||||
| Leader | Hibatullah Akhundzada | ||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Bismillah Khan Mohammadi | ||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Mohammad Yaqoob (acting) | ||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||
| Born | 1973 (age 50–51) Kajaki, Helmand Province, Afghanistan | ||||||||||||
| Profession | Politician | ||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||
| Allegiance | Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) | ||||||||||||
| Branch/service |
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| Rank | Commander | ||||||||||||
| Unit | Sayyid Ala ud-Din Agha 203 Mansoori Corps | ||||||||||||
| Commands | Deputy Chief of Army Staff Head of the Military Affairs Commission (until 2014) Panjshir Brigade (since 2022) Andarab Regiment (since 2022) | ||||||||||||
| Battles/wars |
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Zakir joined the Taliban movement in 1997 and took part in the Afghan civil war. He held the positions of deputy army commander, northern front commander and minister of defence for a short period during the first Taliban government of Afghanistan. Following the United States invasion of Afghanistan, Zakir surrendered to US forces and was interned in the US Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. He was transferred from US custody to Pul-e-Charkhi prison in Afghanistan, from where he was later released.
After his release, Zakir rose through the ranks of the Taliban, running military operations in Helmand and Nimroz provinces before becoming the Taliban's overall military commander. During his tenure he was often described as one of the movement's hardliners and was reported to maintain close links to Iran. In 2014, he stepped down, reportedly following an internal leadership dispute, then was appointed as a deputy to the military head in 2020.