Yunus Khalis

Yunus Khalis was a prominent Afghan Mujahideen commander and political leader during the Soviet–Afghan War and the subsequent Afghan Civil War (1989–1992). A staunch Islamist, he led his own faction of the Hezb-i Islami party, which played a significant role in the resistance against the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and its Soviet allies. Khalis was known for his religious scholarship, military leadership, and his complex relationships with other Mujahideen factions and foreign supporters, including the United States and Pakistan.

Early life and background

Yunus Khalis was born around 1919 in the Khost Province of the Emirate of Afghanistan. He received a traditional Islamic education, studying at various madrasas in Afghanistan and later at the prestigious Darul Uloom Deoband in British India, which shaped his Deobandi religious outlook. His early career was in religious instruction and he served as a prayer leader at the Pul-e Khishti Mosque in Kabul, one of the city's largest Sunni mosques. This period established his reputation as a respected Islamic scholar before he entered the political arena.

Political and military career

Khalis's political activism began in opposition to the modernizing reforms of Mohammed Daoud Khan and later the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. Following the Saur Revolution in 1978, he fled to Pakistan to organize armed resistance. He initially joined Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-i Islami but split from the party in 1979 due to ideological and leadership disputes. He then formed his own faction, Hezb-i Islami (Khalis), which attracted commanders from his native Paktia Province and other eastern regions. His faction received substantial support from the Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan and the Central Intelligence Agency as part of Operation Cyclone.

Role in the Afghan jihad

During the Soviet–Afghan War, Khalis's forces were active primarily in the eastern provinces, including Nangarhar, Paktia, and Logar Province. He was a member of the Peshawar Seven, the alliance of major Mujahideen parties recognized by foreign backers. Notably, he facilitated the entry of foreign Arab fighters into the conflict, including a young Osama bin Laden, who established his Maktab al-Khidamat base in Jalalabad with Khalis's support. His faction participated in major battles, such as the Siege of Khost, and was instrumental in the Battle of Jalalabad following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Leadership of Hezb-i Islami (Khalis)

As the leader of Hezb-i Islami (Khalis), he advocated for the establishment of an Islamic state in Afghanistan based on Sharia. Following the collapse of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in 1992, he served briefly in the Islamic State of Afghanistan government. However, his faction became embroiled in the destructive Afghan Civil War (1992–1996), particularly during the Battle of Kabul (1992–1996), fighting against former allies like Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and the Jamiat-e Islami forces of Ahmad Shah Massoud. His influence waned with the rise of the Taliban, who eventually captured Jalalabad and Kabul.

Later life and death

After the Taliban took power in 1996, Yunus Khalis largely retired from active politics, though he maintained a symbolic allegiance to the new regime. He lived quietly in Nangarhar Province during the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021). He died of natural causes on 19 July 2006 in his home in Kabul, under the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan government led by Hamid Karzai. His death marked the passing of a key figure from the early Mujahideen era, whose legacy is intertwined with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the complex factions of the Afghan conflict.

Category:1919 births Category:2006 deaths Category:Afghan mujahideen Category:Hezb-i Islami (Khalis) politicians Category:People from Khost Province