Afghan Biographies

Mullah Toor Jan


Name Mullah Toor Jan
Ethnic backgr. Pashtun
Date of birth
Function/Grade Ex Kandahar Ulema Council Chairman
History and Biodata

2. Previous Functions:
Taliban Commander(2011)
Kandahar Ulema Council Chairman (20120425)
Sheikh Mawlavi Maluk Shah, former head of Dar Al Ifta, appointed as the head of the Ulama Council of Kandahar province.

3. Biodata:
torjan_maulviMullah Toor Jan (aka Abdul Manan), son of Haji Mullah, was born in Kandahar Province. He was multiple reorted killed by coalition forces during a precision air strike in Bala Murghab district in Badghis province and at other places.

Afghan Taliban Commander Abdul Manan known as Mullah Toor Jan Torjan has denied any link between Afghan Taliban and Pakistani Taliban, saying Afghan Taliban are not in Pakistan but are fighting in Afghanistan against occupied troops.(20091110)

Disgruntled veteran field commander Mullah Tor Jan, was a defector. He spent the better part of a decade battling Western troops in Kandahar and neighboring provinces. Tiring of the fight, he turned himself in 2011, hoping for a government job. Now, he describes himself as a virtual prisoner in a garrison district of Kandahar where Afghan military families are housed. He has no work; his large family lives in a squalid two-room structure. The Taliban killed one of the 23 men who joined the reintegration program along with him. Tor Jan's relations are also rocky with the Afghan security forces, which he had once hoped to join, preferably in a position carrying something of the authority and prestige he had in the Taliban movement. Recently, two of his relatives in nearby Arghandab district were arrested on suspicion of having links to the insurgency, a development he took as a grave personal affront.(20111206)

Abdul Ghafoor Perzo, a strong critic of extremism, was shot dead in front of his home in Kandahar city on May 7, 2017. He was a pro-Government cleric.

Mullah Mohammad Jan and 15 men surrendered to authorities. The group leader was loyal to Mullah Abdul Rauf Khadim, who had been active in Kandahar and Helmand provinces, the official said. The group agreed to surrender with the help of Mullah Tor Jan, who had earlier joined the peace process.(20110605)

Now he has been appointed Chairman of the Ulema Council in Kandahar.(20120425)

Tor Jan was being held or questioned in an NDS office on 20121105. An NDS official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the mullah was detained after being linked with Taliban in Kandahar province and he was taken to Kabul. The Head of the High Peace Council in Kandahar, Ata Mohammad Ahmadi, said he understood that Tor Jan had been arrested but was not aware of the reason.

Last Modified 2017-09-09
Established 2012-04-25