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
Flag of the Ministry of Defense of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
Department overview
Jurisdiction	Government of Afghanistan
Headquarters	Kabul 34.523938°N 69.186437°E / 34.523938; 69.186437
Minister responsible	Mullah Yaqoob (Acting)
Deputy Minister responsible	Abdul Qayyum Zakir (Acting)
Department executives	Muhammad Ali Akhund, Director of Intelligence[1] Qari Lutfullah "Habibi", Spokesperson[2]
Child Department	General Directorate of Intelligence
Website	mod.gov.af/en

The Democratic Republic 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.

Additionally, the Ministry of Defense also had their own annual publication titled “The Military Magazine” (Pashto: د اردو مجله, Dari: مجله ارتش) which began in 1967, under the Kingdom of Afghanistan. This was continued under the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.^[7]

The Ministry of Defense emblem from 1987 to 1992

The 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.^[8]

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
	Shah Mahmud Khan[9]	1929	1947		Unknown
	Amanul Mulk[a]	c. 1944	c. 1946		Unknown
	Gen. Mohammad Daoud Khan[9]	1947	1948		Unknown
	Gen. Muhammad Umar[9]	1948	1952		Unknown
	Gen. Muhammad Aref[9]	1952	1958		Unknown
	Gen. Mohammad Daoud Khan[9]	1958	1963		Unknown
	Gen. Khan Muhammad[9]	1963	1973		Unknown
	Pres. Mohammad Daoud Khan[9]	1973	1973		Unknown
	Abdul Karim Mustaghni	1973	1977		Republican (from 1974)
	Ghulam Haidar Rasuli	1977	April 1978		Republican
	Abdul Qadir	27 April 1978	17 August 1978		PDPA–Parcham
	Nur Muhammad Taraki	17 August 1978[10]	1 April 1979		PDPA–Khalq
	Mohammad Aslam Watanjar	1 April 1979	28 July 1979		PDPA–Khalq
	Hafizullah Amin	July 1979	27 December 1979[b]		PDPA
	Mohammed Rafie	28 December 1979	1982		PDPA
	Abdul Qadir	1982	September 1984		PDPA–Parcham
	Nazar Mohammad	September 1984	1986		PDPA–Khalq
	Mohammed Rafie	December 1986	May 1988		PDPA
	Shahnawaz Tanai	May 1988	March 1990[c]		PDPA–Khalq
	Mohammad Aslam Watanjar	March 1990	April 1992		PDPA–Khalq
	Ahmad Shah Massoud	28 April 1992	9 September 1993		Jamiat-e Islami
	Waheedullah Sabawoon	10 September 1992	15 February 1995		Hezbi 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[12]	15 August 2021		Jamiat-e Islami
	Abdul Qayyum Zakir (acting)	24 August 2021	7 September 2021		Taliban
	Mullah Yaqoob (acting)	7 September 2021[13]	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.^[11]
3. Dismissed following the 1990 Afghan coup attempt.

See also

• Ministry of Interior Affairs (Afghanistan)

References

1. "د اسلامي امارت په تشکیلاتو کې نوي کسان پر دندو وګومارل شول". باختر خبری آژانس. 4 October 2021.
2. "سخنگوی وزارت دفاع ملی معرفی شد | وزارت دفاع ملی". mod.gov.af.
3. "Afghanistan gets 'mini-Pentagon' as troops struggle". Associated Press. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 1 February 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. Ketabton.com. د اردو مجله - 11 - 12 - 1360.
8. 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.
9. Adamec, Ludwig (1975). Historical and Political Who's Who of Afghanistan by Ludwig W. Adamec. ISBN 3201009210.
10. Bradsher, Harry (1999). Afghan Communism and Soviet Intervention. Oxford University Press. pp. 35–36. ISBN 0195790170.
11. "How Soviet troops stormed Kabul palace". BBC. 27 December 2009. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
12. "Afghan president replaces security ministers amid Taliban advance". 19 June 2021.
13. "Taliban announce new government for Afghanistan". BBC News. 7 September 2021. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.

External links

• Official site
• د ملي دفاع وزارت - وزارت دفاع ملی on Twitter (English: Ministry of Defense)