Afghan Biographies

Mohammadi, Jan Mohammad Khan Popolzai killed


Name Mohammadi, Jan Mohammad Khan Popolzai killed
Ethnic backgr. Pashtun
Date of birth
Function/Grade Adviser to President Karzai
History and Biodata

2. Previous Functions:
Governor Uruzgan
Adviser to President Karzai

3. Biodata:
jan_mohammed_khanJan Mohammad Khan, former governor of southern Uruzgan province and a key ally of the embattled President Hamid Karzai, was killed in an attack on 20110717 at his home in Kart-e Seh in Kabul in the 3. Police District near to the Parliament. A son of Jan Mohammad Khan and his three guards were also killed in the attack. Three gunmen wearing explosives killed Jan Mohammad Khan and Hashem Watanwal, a parliament member and Karzai ally from Uruzgan."He (Khan) was very close to Karzai. He was as important as AWK (Ahmed Wali Karzai)," said a official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Like Karzai, Khan hailed from a powerful family from the Popalzai tribe in Afghanistan's restive south.

Khan's nephew Matiullah Khan runs a 3,000-strong militia in Uruzgan. Jan Mohammed Khan, known as JMK, who has a reputation for corruption, brutality and double-dealing. When the Taliban regime fell in late 2001, JMK and Matiullah turned on tribal rivals, who they accused - often falsely - of links to the Taliban. Some were murdered, others were targeted by US special forces on tip-offs from the two warlords, and others fled into the arms of the Taliban. Matiullah emerged as a strongman in his own right after JMK was sacked as governor in 2006, when the Dutch made his removal a condition for them taking charge of the international effort in Oruzgan.

Last Modified 2012-07-21
Established 2011-07-17