2. Previous Function:
Taliban Uzbek Military Commander and Shadow Governor in Faryab Province
Mansouri's corps Commander
Deputy Minister of Rural Development (20220304) a position that Ayubi refused to accept
Security commander in the province of Zabul (2022)

3. Biodata:
Qari Salahuddin Ayubi Ayuobi Ayoubi aka Qari Rahimullah hails from Almar District, Faryab. He was the Taliban’s deputy governor for Badghis province, was held along with seven other associates in Nasrullah Khan Chowk area, Quetta, Pakistan. (20201202)

Background:
Qari Salahuddin served as the Faryab province’s shadow governor and head of the provincial military commission from 2013 to September 2015 when he was captured by the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS), reportedly in Herat province on his way to Kandahar. Ayubi had mobilised hundreds of fighters against government forces in Faryab and established a special training camp for them in Dawlatabad district, known as ‘Ayubi’s Camp’. There, according to sources close to the Taleban, dozens of military experts teach local fighters how to fire light weapons and rocket propelled grenade launchers and give them physical training. In December 2014, the Taleban released the first of a series of videos featuring the camp which showed fighters training, with some fighters firing rifles from moving vehicles. One of the trainers interviewed spoke in Uzbeki about the military training on offer. Other videos featured Salahuddin delivering speeches, again in Uzbeki, about the value of ‘jihad’ and encouraging fighters, not only in Faryab, but all over the country (the video is no longer available in Taleban’s official website).(20170317)
 

Skepticisms rose after an ex-Taliban designated governor Qari Salahuddin escaped from a jail run by members of the Afghan intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security, in Faryab province. Based on reports, Salahuddin who spent four years in NDS detention has rejoined the Taliban on the battlefield. Following the dramatic escape of Salahuddin, over 80 members of the Afghan National Army (ANA) were also released from a Taliban jail in Qaisar district of Faryab, a development which has fueled rumors that release of ANA forces and civilians from the Taliban custody might be related to the release of the Taliban member. “People have doubt that Qari Salahuddin was released as a result of a political deal and named it escaping. People know that Qari Salahuddin returned to Faryab and is engaged in his destructive activities,” said former Faryab governor Rahmatullah Turkistani. Salahuddin] was an influential guy in the area. He has power and influence. (20190611)
 

Qari Salahuddin Ayuobi, a renowned Taliban leader in Faryab province, where the majority is Turk and Uzbek, was responsible for the majority of fighting in three provinces and was one of the first to approach the presidential palace when Kabul fell to the Taliban. He briefly served as the Taliban regime’s deputy commander of the “Mansoori” military unit in Paktia province until he was relieved of his duty and appointed Deputy Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. After the fall of the Republic state, Ayuobi moved into Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum’s home in Kabul’s Shirpoor area, but was forced to leave by the Taliban leaders. He later declined the position of Deputy Minister of Rural Development, returned to Faryab, and accused the Taliban leadership of ethnocentrism and double standards. Ayuobi warned that he would leave the Taliban unless the Turk minority were given the right to manage a larger portion of the Taliban rule.

Qari Salahuddin Ayuobi played a pivotal role in the Taliban’s conflict with the Republic’s security forces. In 2014, when the Afghan security forces discovered his intention to leave the province of Herat for Quetta, Pakistan, they apprehended him. In exchange for his release, the Taliban freed 83 prisoners from the previous administration, including soldiers from the army, national security, national police, commandos, and eight foreign nationals. In October 2022, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban leader, summoned him to Kandahar and appointed him as the Taliban’s security commander in the province of Zabul, one of the third-best provinces in the country. Despite the fact that Ayuobi had no support network there, it is unclear why he remained silent after being nominated to this position. Sources received confirmation from sources in the province of Zabul that Ayuobi has held this job for five months and has spent most of that time in Kabul.