Afghan Biographies
Muslimdost, Abdul Rahim
Name | Muslimdost, Abdul Rahim |
Ethnic backgr. | Pashtun |
Date of birth | 1960 |
Function/Grade | Afghan Salafist |
History and Biodata |
3. Biodata:
Ideologically, he can be described as Salafi jihadists. Muslimdost was one of the stalwarts of the Salafi mujahedin front under Mawlawi Jamil-ur-Rahman in Kunar during the anti-Soviet jihad. He has never held an official position among the Afghan Taleban, but has aligned recently with Pakistani Taleban. During the Taleban’s Emirate, he was working with some Saudi-funded aid agencies, later establishing a jewellery business. He was detained in Pakistan in late 2001 and sent, along with his brother, to the Guantanamo detention camp for about four years. More recently, he has tilted towards some Pakistani Taleban groups and reportedly acted as a judge for them, but he has little standing among the Afghan Taleban. He has authored dozens of books about Sharia teachings, politics and poetry and is best known to his potential target audience for his Guantanamo memoir, published in Pashto under the title Matī Zawlanē (Broken Shackles). He now serves as a nexus for recruiting Afghan refugees in Pakistan and sending them to fight alongside IS in Iraq and Syria. Pakistani media have now reported, quoting “well-informed sources in the security establishment”, that Muslimdost had been appointed the chief of IS’s ”Khorasan chapter”. Afghan journalist, writer and religious scholar Maulvi Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost confirmed allegiance to ISIS, but said he had not been appointed as Emir of Khurasan by ISIS. (20141214)
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Last Modified | 2023-03-17 |
Established | 2014-11-18 |