Famous Afghan Military Leaders

Vote for Your Favourite Afghan Military Leaders

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 1 
Ahmad Shah Massoud
(Afghan Political Leader and Guerilla Commander Who Served as Minister of Defense of Afghanistan from 1992 to 2001)
Ahmad Shah Massoud
7
Birthdate: September 2, 1953
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bazarak, Afghanistan
Died: September 9, 2001

Ahmad Shah Massoud was an Afghan military commander and politician. From 1979 to 1989, he played an important role in the Soviet-Afghan War, where he served as a powerful guerrilla commander. He was nicknamed Lion of Panjshir for his role in the war. Massoud was assassinated by Al-Qaeda in 2001. His death anniversary is observed as a national holiday in Afghanistan.

 2 
Abdur Rahman Khan
(Emir of Afghanistan from 1880 to 1901)
Abdur Rahman Khan
3
Birthdate: 1844 AD
Birthplace: Kabul, Afghanistan
Died: October 1, 1901
Abdur Rahman Khan reigned as the Emir of Afghanistan from 31 May 1880 until his demise on 1 October 1901. He is credited with uniting Afghanistan after years of internal fighting. The greatest Afghan military genius of all time, Abdur Rahman Khan fought more than 40 rebellions throughout his rule. 
 3 
Sabuktigin
(The Founder of the Ghaznavid Dynasty)
Sabuktigin
3
Birthdate: 0942 AD
Birthplace: Barskhan, Afghanistan
Died: August 5, 0997
Sebüktigin reigned as the Emir of Ghazna from 20 April 977 to 5 August 997 after founding the Ghaznavid dynasty in 977. He expanded his kingdom as far as the Indus River in Pakistan and the Neelum River in Kashmir. Sebüktigin is considered the architect of the Ghaznavid Empire.
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 4 
Sher Ali Khan
(Emir of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1879)
Sher Ali Khan
2
Birthdate: 1825 AD
Birthplace: Kabul, Afghanistan
Died: February 21, 1879
Sher Ali Khan reigned as the Emir of Afghanistan from 9 June 1863 until his death on 21 February 1879. His rule witnessed the creation of several governmental posts and the introduction of a postal service in Afghanistan. Sher Ali Khan also reformed the Afghan military and helped popularize the Pashto language. 
 5 
Niloofar Rahmani
(The First Woman in the History of Afghanistan Who Became Fixed-Wing Air Force Aviator)
Niloofar Rahmani
1
Birthdate: September 27, 1992
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Logar Province Logar, Afghanistan

Niloofar Rahmani is the first woman in Afghanistan’s history who became fixed-wing Air Force aviator. She is Afghan Air Force’s first female pilot since 2001 fall of Taliban. Despite receiving death threats, Rahmani completed her training which included training on C-130s with the US Air Force. She received International Women of Courage Award and was granted asylum in the US.

 6 
Abdul Haq
(Afghan Mujahideen Commander)
Abdul Haq
2
Birthdate: April 23, 1958
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Nangarhar, Afghanistan
Died: October 26, 2001
Abdul Haq was an Afghan mujahideen commander best remembered for his fight against the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan during the 1980s. Abdul Haq was making efforts to organize an uprising against the Taliban when he was killed by the terrorist organization on October 26, 2001. 
 7 
Dadullah
(Barbaric Taliban Leader Known as 'The Butcher' Who Supervised the Bamiyan Destruction)
Dadullah
1
Birthdate: 1966 AD
Birthplace: Oruzgan, Afghanistan
Died: May 11, 2007

Remembered as one of the most barbaric Taliban leaders, Mullah Dadullah was known as The Butcher. He is believed to have burned villages and killed even infants by chopping their heads off for not following his orders. He also supervised the destruction of the Buddha statues in Bamiyan.

 8 
Mohammed Omar
(Afghan Cleric, Political Leader, and Founder of Taliban)
Mohammed Omar
6
Birthdate: 1962 AD
Birthplace: Kandahar, Afghanistan
Died: April 23, 2013
Mohammed Omar was an Afghan cleric, political leader, and Islamist partisan fighter. He is credited with founding Taliban in 1994. Omar served as the first leader of Taliban from 1994 until his death on 23 April 2013. Renowned for his reclusivity, Mohammed Omar remains a revered figure within the Taliban
 9 
Khatool Mohammadzai
(Afghanistan's First Female Paratrooper)
Khatool Mohammadzai
0
Birthdate: 1966 AD
Birthplace: Kabul, Afghanistan

Former Afghan National Army brigadier general Khatool Mohammadzai scripted history as Afghanistan’s first female paratrooper. A 35-time decorated soldier, she has also worked as a military instructor. She was also the first female general since the Soviets left Afghanistan. In the Taliban regime of the 1990s, she ran a secret girls’ school.

 10 
Latifa Nabizada
(One of Two Afghan Women Pilots Who Could Fly a Mi-17 Helicopter)
Latifa Nabizada
0
Birthdate: 1969 AD
Birthplace: Kabul, Afghanistan

Former Afghan Air Force helicopter pilot Latifa Nabizada scripted history as one of the first 2 Afghan women pilots who could fly a Mi-17 helicopter. In 2013, she quite her flying career amid death threats from the Taliban and switched to a desk job at the Afghan defense ministry instead.

 11 
Munir Mangal
(Former Afghan General and Police Commander Who Died of COVID-19)
Munir Mangal
0
Birthdate: 1950 AD
Birthplace: Paktia, Afghanistan
Died: May 2, 2020

Former Afghan general and Afghan National Police commander Munir Mangal had also served as the country’s Deputy Minister of Interior Affairs for Security. In 2020, at age 70, he died of COVID-19, becoming one of Afghanistan’s most high-profile victims the virus.