Arabs at War in Afghanistan

194 Pages·2016·6.14 MB·English

by  MUSTAFA HAMID and LEAH FARRALL

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MUSTAFA HAMID
LEAH FARRALL
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The Arabs at War
in Afghanistan
HURST & COMPANY, LONDON
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First published in the United Kingdom in 2015 by To those who passed early, who were the best among us, I dedicate my words.
C. Hurst & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., Mustafa Hamid
41 Great Russell Street, London, WClB 3PL
© Mustafa Hamid and Leah Farrall, 2015
To myf amily far their constant and unwavering support; and to Zainab,for
All rights reserved.
her patient assistance. Without you there would be no book.
Printed in India
Leah Farrall
Distributed in the United States, Canada and Latin America by
Oxford University Press, 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016,
United States of America.
The right of Mustafa Hamid and Leah Farrall to be identified as the
author of this publication is asserted by them in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
A Cataloguing-in-Publication data record for this book
is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-1849044202
www.hurstpublishers.com
This book is printed using paper from registered sustainable
and managed sources.
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CONTENTS
1
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People Xl l
Glossary XlX
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Camps, Organisations and Publications Xlll
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Locations XXlX
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1. Introducing Mustafa Hamid 1
16
On how we met
From a rocky introduction, dialogue and, eventually, a book 18
2. The Arab-Afghan Jihad 21
27
A low-prefile start
The first Arab arrivals 33
Lack oft rainingfor Arabs and Afghans 38
Pakistan's role 39
3. Early Training and Taliban Origins 45
Mawlawi Nasrullah Mansur and the real beginnings oft he
Taliban movement 46
Arrival oft he Pakistani trainer Rashid Ahmad 52
Mawlawi Mansur and Rashid's establishment of the Qais camp 55
Rashid and Mawlawi Mansur's contribution to the Afghan
59
and Arab jihad
4. Two Memos and an Idea That Spread: The Real Origins
ofMaktab Al-Khadamat 65
The two memos: early suggestions for an Arab-led organisation 65
Azzam, Sayyaf and bin Laden establish Maktab al-Khadamat 75
Early Arab training and combat efforts 81
The establishment of Sadda camp by Maktab al-Khadamat 83
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CONTENTS CONTENTS :1
5. Jaji and the Establishment of al-Masadah 89 The politics between Abu Mus ab al-Suri and al-Qaeda 254
How and why al-Masadah was established 89 Al-Qaeda's support far Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a
Opposition to bin Laden's establishment of al-Masadah 94 counterweight to Abu Musab al-Suri 257
The Jaji battle and its aftermath 97 Khaldan closes operations in Jalalabad 259
Exclusion of the Afghans 100 Al-Qaeda's training efforts in Kandahar and Kabul 261
On leadership and lessons: the dangers of the Jaji success 102
11. Arab-Afghan Unity Efforts and 9/11 263
6. Confused Origins: Al-Q.sieda's Post-Jaji Emergence and the The Uzbek-al-Qaeda relationship and Mullah Omar's
Arab Advisory Council 107 appointment of Uzbek military leader, Juma Bai, as amir
The how, when and why of al-Qaeda's formation 108 of the foreign brigade in Kabul 273
More than a move: al-Qaeda's relocation to Khost and its The al-Qaeda-Tanzim al-Jihad merger 278
turn away from Afghanistan 112 Disagreement about al-Qaeda's upcoming (9/11) attacks 280
Changingfocus: Arab-Afghan efforts to gain bin Laden's Al-Qaeda's pre-9111 preparations far an American retaliation
support and al-Qaeda's resources 116 and an absence of warnings 281
Al-Qaeda and the Arab-Afghan Advisory Council 119 The American invasion 284
The Arab-Afghan yard· disagreements, arguments and power plays 125
12. Reflections 293
Training 133
Concluding reflections 315
7. Jalalabad and the Arab-Afghan Training Storm 145
Epilogue 327
An inglorious defeat 155
Ikhwan Muslim in enters the fray 162 Notes 329
The rise of the current ofp reparation and the Jalalabad School 164 Index 341
8. The Afghan Civil War and Arab-Afghan Flight 177
Short on options: bin Laden's journey from house arrest in
Saudi Arabia to Pakistan 177
of
The fall the Kabul regime, Afghanistan's descent into civil
war and Pakistan's crackdown on Arab-Afghans 180
The forgotten men on the mountain: the Arab-Afghans who
remained in Khost 196
9. The Arab-Afghan Return and the Rise of the Taliban 207
An unhappy return to Afghanistan 208
From Tora Bora a declaration ofj ihad 211
The Taliban gain a controversial guest 217
10. Strong Horse, Weak Horse: Arab-Afghan Politics and
Al-Q.sieda's Realpolitik 247
Bin Laden's invitation to Khattab 248
Bin Laden's outreach to the Pakistanis 249
The politics among the Arab-Afghan groups about giving oaths
to Mullah Omar 250
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PEOPLE
Abd as-Samia: Shia Afghan commander operating in the al-Masadah
base area before being asked to leave by the Arabs at the base.
Abdul Aziz Ali: Egyptian Ikhwan Muslimin member; veteran of the
1948 Palestine War. Influential figure during the first Afghan jihad.
Also known as Abu Osama al-Masri.
Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi: Iraqi veteran of first Afghan jihad. Trained in 1993
in Iraqi Ikhwan Muslimin camp in Jalalabad. Joined al-~eda after
its return to Afghanistan in 1996. Was a commander of the Ansar vol
unteer force under the leadership ofJuma Bai, the military head of the
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan appointed by Mullah Omar to over
see all foreign fighters in Afghanistan.
Abdul Haq: Senior Afghan commander against the Soviets. Executed
by the Taliban in late 2001 when attempting to return to Afghanistan
from exile. According to Mustafa Hamid, Abdul Haq returned to
Afghanistan to stage a coup against the Taliban inJalalabad, where he
was killed during a clash with them.
Abdul Majid al-Jazairi: Algerian who was an early member of al-~eda,
but left because of dissatisfaction with the organisation. Established
a training camp inJalalabad for Algerians. He later returned to Algeria
and became involved in the conflict there.
Abdul Majid al-Zindani: Religious figure and leader of Ikhwan
Muslimin in Yemen.
Abdul ~dir: Former governor ofJ alalabad. Also known as Hajji ~dir.
Abdul Rahman al-BM: Egyptian who was briefly a member of al-~eda
during the early period of the first Afghan jihad. Renowned for his
proficiency using 'BM' rocket launchers, earning himself the lifelong
nickname 'al-BM'.
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PEOPLE PEOPLE
Abdul Rahman al-Iraqi: Iraqi member ofMaktab al-Alami al-Islami. Abu Hafs al-Masri: Egyptian. Early arrival to first Afghan war and
Abdul Rahman al-Masri: Egyptian member of Maktab al-Alami al member ofMaktab al-Alami al-Islami. Co-founder of al-~eda; mil
Islami. Worked closely with Mustafa Hamid in Khost battles. itary amir of al-~eda after the death of Abu Ubaydah al-Banshiri.
Abdul Rahman al-Surayhi: Saudi who fought at Jaji and J alalabad and Abu Hafs al-Mauritani: Mauritanian who headed up al-~eda's reli
declined to join al-~eda. gious institute. Disagreed with 9/11; reportedly resigned from al-~eda
Abdul Rashid Dostum: Regional chief in Afghanistan's armed forces before arriving in Iran.
during the Afghan jihad against the Soviets. Later a commander in Abu Hajr al-Iraqi: Iraqi. Senior al-~eda member; allegedly involved
the Northern Alliance. in 1998 African embassy bombings.
Abdul Rasul Sayyaf: Afghan mujahidin leader during the first Afghan Abu Hamid al-Libi: Libyan who was early member of al-~eda before
jihad. Amir of the Union of Afghan Parties, the grouping consisting leaving and becoming the head of a small takfiri group.
of the various Afghan mujahidin parties fighting the Soviet Abu Hamza al-Qititi': Saudi who established his own small training
occupation. group in Kabul.
Abdul Wakil: First Taliban member to meet Arab-Afghans and al-~eda Abu Harith al-Urduni: Jordanian who commanded his own group dur
at Khost encampment as the Taliban began its rise to power. ing first Afghan war. Worked closely with Afghan mujahidin com
AbdullahAnas: Algerian. Abdullah Azzam's son-in-law and early mem mander Jalaluddin Haqqani.
ber of Maktab al-Khadamat. Abu Ibrahim al-Iraqi: Iraqi who was a member of the Arab Advisory
Abdullah Assadeq: One of the high-ranking figures in the Libyan Council during the first Afghan war.
Islamic Fighting Group. Abu Islam al-Masri: Egyptian al-~eda member who left the group in
Abdullah Azzam: Palestinian. Amir of Maktab al-Khadamat. Senior the early 1990s to go to Chechnya and join Khattab.
Arab-Afghan leader in Afghanistan. AbuJafar al-Kandahari al-Masri: Egyptian who attempted to join al
Abdullah Nuri: Tajik. Leader of Tajikistan's al-Nahda movement. Olteda in its early days but did not pass the entry test. Author of Memoir
Abu Abdullah: Osama bin Laden. Saudi Arab-Afghan financier of ofa n Arab-Afghan.
Maktab al-Khadamat and amir of al-~eda. AbuJandal: Yemeni who was among the first of the Arabs to join al
Abu Abdullah al-Muhajir: Egyptian who founded Belief Battalions ~eda after 1996; Northern Group member.
Institute in Khaldan before defecting to al-~eda and working in its AbuJihad al-Makki: Saudi al-~eda member. 1998 African embassy
Institute. suicide bomber; Northern Group member.
Abu al-Shahid al-Qittari: Name of an al-~eda camp in Jalalabad, AbuJihad al-Masri: Egyptian Gamaah Islamiyyah figure who led a fac
named in honour of a mujahid who died in Khost. tion of the group who merged with al-~eda in 2006.
AbuAyman al-Yamani: Egyptian who was present at Tora Bora in late Abu Jihad al-Masri: Egyptian Tanzim al-Jihad leader.
2001 and reportedly met bin Laden and other senior leaders. Abu Khabab al-Masri: Egyptian. Chemist and explosives engineer.
Abu Ayoub al-Iraqi: Iraqi Arab-Afghan who ran al-~eda training Worked at Khaldan and Derunta. Independent. Subcontracted ser
camp in J alalabad. vices to other groups.
Abu Burhan al-Suri: Ex-Syrian army officer. Commander in the camp Abu Khalid al-Masri: Egyptian senior al-~eda figure.
of Khaldan; trained Arabs. Former Syrian Ikhwan Muslimin who ran Abu Layth al-Libi: Libyan field commander during American invasion;
Maktab al-Khadamat's Sadda and Khaldan camps before retiring. later joined his faction of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group with
Abu Faraj al-Libi: Libyan who rose to become al-~eda's head of exter al-~eda.
nal operations following the capture and rendition of Khalid Shaykh Abu Muhammad al-Masri: Egyptian who allegedly headed al-~eda's
Muhammad. training programme.
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PEOPLE
Abu Musab al-Reuters: Egyptian who worked on al-~eda's Media Ahmad al-Jazairi: Algerian doctor. Among the takfiris of the first Afghan
Council during its early period before leaving the organisation. conflict.
Abu Musab al-Suri: Former Syrian Ikhwan Muslimin who trained in Ahmad Gul: Afghan commander, killed in Lija in 1985, who worked
Egypt and Iraq. In Afghanistan provided training to Egyptian groups with Haqqani.
and others. Viewed by al-~eda as competitor to the group. Ahmad Shah Masud: Afghan. Commander of the Northern Alliance.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi: Jordanian who was supported by Sayf al-Adl Akhtar Abdul Rahman: General in charge of Pakistan's Inter-Services
and al-~eda to establish his own camp and group in Herat to pre Intelligence (ISI) during most of the first Afghan jihad (1979 to 1987).
vent his working with Abu Musab al-Suri. Al-Assad: Refers here to the dictatorial regime of Hafiz al-Assad who
Abu Omar al-Yamani: Al-~eda member who worked in Yemen, han ruled Syria for close to thirty years until his death in 2000. Also used
dling weapons smuggled in from Somalia in early 1990s. to refer to the regime of his son and heir, Bashar al-Assad, who at the
Abu Qytada: Jordanian imam. Often claimed to be al-~eda member. time of writing was presiding over a civil war in the country.
Provided advice and fatawa to a number of militant groups and in the Ali Abdullah Saleh: Former president ofYemen who served from 1990
early 1990s contributed to the Armed Group of Algeria's magazine. until February 2012.
Involved in takfiri disputes. Ali Muhammad: Egyptian-American member ofTanzim al-Jihad who
Abu Rida al-Suri: Syrian member of Maktab al-Khadamat and muja- trained group members and al-~eda.
hidin financier. Amin al-Haq: Also known as Dr Amin. Afghan mujahidin commander
Abu Rouda al-Suri: Syrian-American who headed up Hekmatyar's in Tora Bora area; close friends with Abu Abdullah, advised him against
Yarmuk Brigade, before being killed in action in Kabul. basing himself in Tora Bora.
Abu Samha al-Masri: Egyptian Tanzim al-Jihad leader also known as Amiral-Fateh: Al-~eda member. Renowned for his tank work during
Tharwat Salah Shihatah. Involved in torture and execution of fellow
J alalabad battle.
member's son in the 1990s. Anwar Sadat: President of Egypt assassinated byTanzim al-Jihad.
Abu Tariq al-Tunisi: Tunisian who along with other Arab-Afghans Arsla Rahmani: Former senior Taliban member.
approached the Taliban in late 1996 to offer assistance in its efforts to
Ayman al-Zawahiri: Egyptian. Formerly amir ofTanzim al-Jihad. Led
protect Kabul. faction of five members who merged with al-~eda in 2001. Took over
Abu Ubaydah al-Banshiri: Egyptian. First military commander of al
as amir of al-~eda following death of Osama bin Laden in May 2011.
~eda and one of its co-founders. Died in 1996 in Africa. Had resigned
Basil Muhammad: Journalist and author of Arab Ansar in Afghanistan.
from al-~eda. Burhanuddin Rabbani: Leader of Afghan mujahidin party and former
Abu Usama al-Jazairi: Algerian. Listed as the 'Military Supervisor' in
Afghan prime minister from 1992 to 1996. Assassinated by Taliban.
documents outlining 'the work of al-~eda', which are believed to
Enaam Arnaout: Syrian-American. Fought in the first Afghan war.
mark its founding.
Managed the Benevolence International Foundation.
Abu Zayd al-Tunisi: Tunisian commander of al-~eda's camps in Khost
Engineer Mahmud: Afghan commander. Offered bin Laden and the
during its time in Sudan. Commander ofJ ihadwal at time of American
returning al-~eda members and Arab-Afghans and their family pro
retaliatory strikes.
tection in J alalabad upon their return to Afghanistan in 1996.
Abu Zubaydah: Palestinian with Saudi citizenship. Along with Ibn
Engineer Mujahid: Afghan commander. Offered bin Laden and the
Shaykh al-Libi took over Maktab al-Khadamat's infrastructure when
returning al-~eda members and Arab-Afghans and their family pro
the group disintegrated and Abu Burhan retired. Founded Mujahidin
tection in J alalabad upon their return to Afghanistan in 1996.
Services Centre in 1996.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar: Founder and leader of Hizb i Islami. Former
Ahmad: Friend of Mustafa Hamid, who was among the first three Arabs
prime minister of Afghanistan.
to join the jihad in Afghanistan.
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PEOPLE
Muhammad al-Islambouli: Egyptian. Brother of Khalid al-Islambouli
Gulzarak: Afghan. General working with Sayyaf; head of al-Ittihad
who assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. A senior member
Military Committee.
Hamoud al-Uqla: Saudi scholar; issued first fatwa in support ofTaliban. of Gamaah Islamiyyah.
lbn Khattab: Former Northern Group member. Left to pursue jihad in Muhammad Makkawi: Egyptian. Mujahidin fighter formerly in
Egyptian military. Famously called Jalalabad battle a 'Goat War'.
Tajikistan and Chechnya. Established his own camp in J alalabad.
lbn Shaykh al-Libi: Libyan. Amir of Khaldan following retirement of Muhammad Nabi Muhammadi: Afghan. First leader of Harakat i
Inqilab i Islami.
Abu Burhan al-Suri.
Ibrahim Haqqani: Afghan mujahidin commander and brother of Muhammad Najibullah: Known as Dr Najibullah. Afghan prime min
ister from 1986 until 1992, when his government fell and Afghanistan
Jalaluddin Haqqani.
Issam al-Libi: Libyan. Senior Arab mujahid. descended into civil war.
Jalaluddin Haqqani: Senior Afghan commander and Tribal leader. Mullah Abdul Razak: Member of Taliban Shurah Council circa 2001.
Jamal al-Fadl: Sudanese former member of al-Qgeda; became infor- Mullah Baradar: Member of Taliban Shurah Council circa 2001.
mant after dispute over stolen funds. Early member of al-Qgeda. MullahJaleel: Influential figure in the Taliban who was close to Mullah
Jamil ul-Rahman: Salafi Afghan tribal leader and Mawlawi who ran his Omar, and also Abu Musab al-Suri, whom he favoured over bin Laden.
own camp in Kunar and received funding from the Gulf. Assassinated Mullah Mansur: Member of Taliban Shurah Council circa 2001.
in 1991. Mullah Omar: Mullah Muhammad Omar. Amir of the Taliban
Juma Bai: Head of Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan's Military movement.
Committee and commander of all foreign fighters in Afghanistan. Mustafa al-Yamani: Yemeni. Involved in fighting around Lija and in
Kamal al-Sananiry: Senior individual in Ikhwan Muslimin until he Jalalabad during first Afghan war. Author ofA fghanistan ... Memories
of
resigned and left. an Occupation.
Khalid Shaykh Muhammad: Planner of 9/11, headed up al-Qgeda exter- Mustafa Mashrour: Egyptian. Senior figure in Ikhwan Muslimin.
nal operations for a time. Mutiullah: Afghan commander active in Paktia during first Afghan war.
Khalil Haqqani: Brother ofJalaluddin Haqqani. Commander. Nasir Abbas: Senior figure in Indonesia's Jamaah Islamiyyah.
Luay Sakka: Syrian. Senior Mujahidin Services Centre operative who Omar Abdul Rahman: Egyptian currently jailed in America for con
later worked with al-Zarqawi. Ran Mujahidin Services Centre in
spiracy relating to the 1993 World Trade Center bombings. Senior
Turkey as back station for Chechnya and Georgia. religious leader in Egypt's Gamaah Islamiyyah.
MawlawiAdam: Afghan. Senior figure sent by Jalaluddin Haqqani to
OsamaAzmarai: Saudi. Also known as Wali Khan. Established his own
Abu Dhabi in early 1979 to raise funds for jihad in Afghanistan.
camp in Jalalabad. Pioneer of anti-American focus and involved in
Mawlawi Fathallah: Senior Afghan figure. Killed in Lija in 1985.
early attack plots in the United States and Asia.
Mawlawi Ihsanullah: Senior Taliban member. Killed in ambush in
Rashid Ahmad: Pakistani Army major instrumental in providing train
Baglan province in 1998.
ing to the Afghans and Arab-Afghans.
Mawlawi Nasrullah Mansur: Former deputy leader of Barakat i Inqilab
RamziYousef: Pakistani. Carried out the first World Trade Center bomb-
i Islami until he formed and led a splinter group with the same name.
ing in 1993.
Early founder of Taliban movement.
Saeed al-Masri: Egyptian. Senior al-Qgeda figure.
Mohamed Farrah Aidid: Commander of militants in Somalia whose
Salahdin: Former Iranian al-Qgeda member.
forces downed American Black.hawks in 1993.
Saleh Kamal: Saudi. Financier of Afghan mujahidin during conflict
Moqbil al-Wadi: Salafi Yemeni cleric who reportedly supported bin
against the Soviets. Financed Badr camp.
Laden's jihad efforts in Yemen before turning to label him an 'agent
Sayed Ahmad: Provided assistance to the mujahidin in Herat.
of sedition'.
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Sayf al-Adi: Egyptian. Senior al-~eda leader. I
Sayyid Imam: Egyptian. Former amir ofTanzim al-Jihad before resign
ing. Wrote Foundations in Preparing/or Jihad, a book that was highly
influential among takfiris.
Saznor: Afghan. Commander who provided protection to Osama bin
Laden and those arriving with him upon his 1996 return to Afghanistan.
Shamil Basayev: Leader of the Chechen resistance; travelled to
GLOSSARY
Afghanistan in 1994 to seek assistance for the campaign in Chechnya.
Shammali: Afghan commander during the Jalalabad battle.
Sharif al-Masri: Egyptian. Gamaah Islamiyyah figure and military
trainer who led the al-Faruq training camp at the time of its bomb-
Ablution Refers here to the cleansing performed prior to
ing in August 1998.
prayer.
Sigbatullah Mujaddidi: Leader of the National Front for the Salvation
Amir al-Muminin Leader of the Faithful. Refers here to Mullah
of Afghanistan, a group within the Union of Mujahidin Parties. Was
Muhammad Omar, amir of the Taliban.
appointed president of Afghanistan after the communist regime fell
Andar Pashtun tribe predominantly present in Afghan
in 1992.
istan's Paktia, Ghazni and Paktika provinces.
Tahir Yuldashev: Uzbek. Amir oflslamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
Arab-Afghan Initially used in a derogatory manner; the term
Tamim al-Adnani: Palestinian. Member of the Arab Advisory Council;
referred to Arab volunteers who travelled to
deputy to Abdullah Azzam.
Afghanistan to fight against the Soviets in the
Turki al-Faisal: Former Saudi intelligence chief.
Wadih al-Hage: Also known as Abdul Sabur. Arab-Afghan who later Afghan jihad.
Bayah Arabic term for an oath. Plural is bayat.
joined al-~eda.
VvaelJulaydan: Assisted in the establishment ofMaktab al-Khadamat. Blood taxes A term used to refer to the cost in lives.
Dawah To call or invite. In the context of this book it means
He was the Saudi head ofThe Red Crescent in Peshawar and a mem
the call or invitation back to Islam and Allah.
ber of the Peshawar Advisory Council formed by the
Fatwa Religious ruling given by a mufti. Plural fatawa.
Arab-Afghans.
Yunis Khalis: Afghan mujahidin commander. Leader of the group Hizb Fiqh Understanding. Refers to the human comprehen
sion of Shariah.
i Islami-Khalis.
Goat war A term used by Muhammad Makkawi to refer to
Zia ul Haq: Former president of Pakistan.
the chaotic, ill-thought out and unsuccessful con
Ziad Barre: Former president of Somalia.
duct of war.
Guerrilla warfare A type of warfare when an irregular force fights a
stronger 'regular' force of a nation state.
Hajj The annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Dhu al-Hij
jah; obligatory for those who are able.
Hanafi One of the main schools oflslamic jurisprudence.
Imam Leader of prayers at a masjid.
Jahiliyyat Usually translated as 'ignorance'but has a broader
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