| Abdul Raziq Achakzai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | عبدالرازق اڅکزی |
| Birth name | Abdul Raziq |
| Born | 1979 |
| Died | October 18, 2018 (aged 39) |
| Place of birth | Spin Boldak, Kandahar, Afghanistan |
| Place of death | Kandahar, Afghanistan[1] |
| Allegiance |
 Afghanistan |
| Service/branch | Afghan Border Police |
| Years of service | 2002–2018 |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan† |
| Spouse(s) | 3 wives[2] |
Abdul Raziq Achakzai (Pashto language: عبدالرازق اڅکزی; Persian: عبدالرازق اچکزی) (1979 – October 18, 2018) was a warlord and a police chief in the Afghan National Police.[3] His father and uncle were killed by the Taliban in 1994. Raziq started fighting against the Taliban in 2001, eventually overthrowing them in the Kandahar area.[4] He was considered to be one of the most powerful security officials in Afghanistan for the last few years of his life. After surviving several assassination attempts over the years by the Taliban, Raziq was killed in an insider attack by a bodyguard of the provincial governor, who opened fire on him and other security officials after a meeting with the U.S. Army General Scott Miller at the governor's compound in Kandahar.[5] Raziq was succeeded by his brother, Tadeen Khan, who has no military related experience.[6] Tadeen's nomination was a result of heavy pressure from powerful tribal elders who pressured the Afghan government to overlook his lack of experience and training.[7]
Personal life[]
Abdul Raziq Achakzai was born in 1979 in the town of Spin Boldak, Kandahar Province, where he was raised.[8] He was a member of the Adozai Achakzai tribe of the Pashtuns. He and his family left Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.[9][10] Raziq's prominent uncle and father were killed by the Taliban in 1994, as they rose to power in Kandahar. He and his family returned after the U.S-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Raziq was illiterate and had three wives.[2][11]
Abdul Raziq Achakzai is thought to have received annual kickbacks from customs revenues exacted at border crossings. He became wealthy as a result of his control over the province and a major border thoroughfare. He also spent time in Dubai and had been heavily involved in horse trading. Abdul Raziq also has businesses abroad.[4][12]
Military career[]
In November 2001, Raziq joined anti-Taliban forces, under Fayda Mohammad and Gul Agha Sherzai, which overthrew the Taliban in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan. Although he was unknown in 2001, he nevertheless rose to command the Afghan Border Police on Afghanistan's border between Kandahar and Pakistan's Balochistan Province.[13]
Jg
Drug smuggling and corruption[]
Abdul Raziq was also accused of being involved in drug smuggling and corruption cases.[4][13]<ref name="The Telegraph">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co
References[]
- ↑ "Kandahar Police Chief Raziq Killed In Attack | TOLOnews" (in en). TOLOnews. https://www.tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan/kandahar-police-chief-raziq-killed-attack.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Controversial Afghan Cop, "Torturer-in-Chief", Killed In Taliban Attack". NDTV. https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/kandahar-afghanistan-general-abdul-raziq-afghanistans-torturer-in-chief-killed-in-taliban-attack-1934262. Retrieved 19 October 2018. "Raziq, who was illiterate and had three wives, had been fighting the Taliban since the terrorists executed his father and uncle in 1994, two years before they succeeded in imposing their oppressive regime over most of the country."
- ↑ "Top US commander in Afghanistan unharmed after attack leaves key Afghan general dead, 2 Americans wounded". Military Times. 18 October 2018. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/10/18/top-us-commander-in-afghanistan-unharmed-after-attack-that-left-key-afghan-general-dead-2-americans-wounded/. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "The life of Afghan Gen. Abdul Raziq, whose assassination Thursday was a huge Taliban victory". https://www.businessinsider.com/afghan-gen-abdul-raziq-whose-assassination-was-a-taliban-victory-2018-10. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ↑ Salahuddin, Sayed; Constable, Pamela (October 18, 2018). "U.S. commander in Afghanistan survives deadly attack at governor’s compound that kills top Afghan police general". https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/gunfire-erupts-in-afghan-governors-compound-after-meeting-with-us-commander/2018/10/18/109fc5e0-d2ce-11e8-b2d2-f397227b43f0_story.html. "Among those killed in the attack inside the governor’s compound in southern Kandahar province was the region’s top police general, Abdul Raziq, who was seen as the most powerful man in southern Afghanistan."
- ↑ "‘The Lion of Kandahar’: Was slain commander a hero or part of the problem?". 29 November 2018. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the-lion-of-kandahar-was-slain-commander-a-hero-or-part-of-the-problem/2018/11/28/48360198-f25b-11e8-99c2-cfca6fcf610c_story.html?noredirect=on. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- ↑ "Brother appointed to succeed killed Afghan commander". Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-security/brother-appointed-to-succeed-killed-afghan-commander-idUSKCN1MW1XF. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
- ↑ "General Abdul Raziq biography". Associated Press. 29 Jun 2015. http://www.afghan-bios.info/index.php?option=com_afghanbios&id=1489&task=view&total=3162&start=2397&Itemid=.
- ↑ "Raziq’s Death Leaves Massive Void In The South". Tolo news. https://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/raziq’s-death-leaves-massive-void-south. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ↑ "Profile: Who was Afghanistan's General Abdul Raziq?". Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/profile-afghanistan-general-abdul-raziq-181018132154966.html. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
- ↑ "Afghan police chief Abdul Raziq killed by Taliban". Gulf news. https://m.gulfnews.com/news/asia/afghanistan/afghan-police-chief-abdul-raziq-killed-by-taliban-1.2291424. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
- ↑ "An Afghan Police Chief Took On the Taliban and Won. Then His Luck Ran Out". https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/18/world/asia/kandahar-afghanistan-attack.html. Retrieved 18 October 2018. "With the province and a major border crossing under his control, and with businesses abroad, General Raziq grew enormously rich. He spent time in Dubai and had been heavily involved in the horse trading that is part of the coalition building ahead of Afghanistan’s presidential elections next year."
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Aikins, Matthieu. "Our Man in Kandahar" (in en-US). https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/11/our-man-in-kandahar/308653/.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Abdul Raziq Achakzai. |
- DOCUMENTARY On Gen. Raziq's Assassination – With English Subtitles on YouTube, November 9, 2018, TOLOnews.
The original article can be found at [[Wikipedia:Abdul Raziq Achakzai |Abdul Raziq Achakzai]] and the edit history here.