Muhammad Rasul

Muhammad Rasul was the leader of the High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, a Taliban dissident group in Afghanistan, until the group's dissolution in 2021.[1] He was a Taliban-appointed governor of Nimruz Province, Afghanistan. Rasul exerted pressure and suppression on Pashtun factions unpopular with the Taliban, and made a considerable fortune controlling cross-border drug-smuggling through Nimruz.[2]

Muhammad Rasul
Supreme Leader of High Council of Afghanistan Islamic Emirate
In office
2016–2021
Preceded byOffice established
Governor of Nimruz Province for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
In office
1996–2001
Succeeded byAbdul Karim Brahui
Personal details
Bornc. 1965 (age 57–58)
Kandahar Province, Kingdom of Afghanistan
ReligionIslam
Military service
Allegiance
Years of service1994–present
RankMarshal
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Islamic State–Taliban conflict

Early life

Rasul is believed to have been born in the mid-1960s in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.[3]

Early career

Taliban rule

Rasul was the Governor for Nimruz Province when the Taliban were in power during the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. He is said to have had close relations with founding Taliban leader Mohammed Omar, and is considered to have been an "old and trusted friend" to him.[4]

Invasion of US

Rasul and his functionaries fled Nimroz following U.S. airstrikes on 13 November 2001, and his office was taken over by Abdul Karim Brahui.[5] After the Invasion of Afghanistan, Rasul became the Taliban's shadow governor of Farah Province.[4]

Afghan Civil War

In 2015, Rasul broke away from the main Taliban leadership and established his own group, the High Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.[6] The split was a result of disagreement over the ascension of Akhtar Mansour as leader of the Taliban. Rasul's followers accuse Mansour of hijacking the movement due to personal greed. Rasul says that he and his supporters tried to persuade him to step down and let the new leader be chosen by the Taliban council, but Mansour refused.[7][8]

The High Council was suspected by some to be an Iranian ally, although Iran sided with the Islamic Emirate's leadership against it.[6][9] They have demanded that foreign troops leave Afghanistan as a precursor for peace talks.[10] Rasul's Taliban group has voiced that neither al-Qaeda, nor the Islamic State are welcome in Afghanistan.[11] The group has also been reported of being supported by Afghan government though both the group and Afghan officials have denied this.[12]

Rasul's faction dissolved peacefully into the main Taliban following the Taliban offensive of 2021, ending its independent existence and turning over all of its military equipment to the Taliban.[13] In January 2022, Muhammad Rasul met with defense minister Mullah Yaqoob in Kabul and stated his support for the new government.[14]

Attack on Haibatullah

During the Friday prayer on August 16, 2019, a powerful blast tore through a grand mosque in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The attack on the mosque, frequented by Taliban’s leadership, killed the brother and father of Hibatullah Akhundzada. The High Council of Afghanistan Islamic Emirate claimed responsibility for the attack, adding that the prime target was Haibatullah.[15]

References
  1. "Afghan Taliban Group Backs IS, But Only Abroad". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Radio Azadi. 2015-11-08. Retrieved 2021-08-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. The Taliban and the crisis of Afghanistan. Harvard University Press, 2008. ISBN 0-674-02690-X, 9780674026902. Pg 185-187
  3. "Afghan Taliban faction appoints new 'supreme leader'". Al-Jazeera. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  4. "Taliban Splinter Group Names Mullah Mohammad Rasool Akhund as Leader". NBC. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  5. The Taliban and the crisis of Afghanistan. Harvard University Press, 2008. ISBN 0-674-02690-X, 9780674026902. Pg 185-187
  6. Kolenda, Christopher D (January 21, 2016). "Five Myths to Dispel About An Afghan Peace". The Gandhara Briefing. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  7. "Afghan Taliban splinter group names Mullah Rasool as leader". BBC. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  8. "Breakaway Taliban Says Senior Militant Wounded but Alive". Voice of America. 14 November 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  9. Moiz, Ibrahim (2021-06-14). "Niazi No More: The Life and Legacy of a Taliban Mutineer - THE AFGHAN EYE %". The Afghan Eye. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  10. Raghavan, Sudarsan (2015-11-08). "A new Taliban breakaway group claims support for peace and women's rights". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-11-19. Niazi echoed the Taliban's core leadership when it came to peace talks: No discussions should occur unless all U.S. and foreign troops depart the country.
  11. "Afghan Taliban Splinter Group's New Chief Backs Islamic State 'Brothers' -- But Only Abroad". RFE/RL. Radio Free Afghanistan. 2015-11-08. Retrieved 2015-11-19. 'They are our brothers; [but] we will not let them in [Afghanistan] nor will we agree with them in this country.'
  12. "Afghan Government Quietly Aids Breakaway Taliban Faction". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  13. "پسر ملامنان نیازی به طالبان پیوست" [The son of Mullah Manan Niazi joined the Taliban]. farsnews. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
  14. Kakar, Javid Hamim (2022-01-31). "د طالبانو د ملا رسول ډله له اوسني نظامه ملاتړ اعلانوي" [The Mullah Rasul faction of the Taliban has announced its support for the current regime]. Pajhwok Afghan News (in Pashto). Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  15. "Taliban in troubled waters as splinter groups target leaders in Quetta". CNBC TV. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
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