Mohammed Fahim
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim (محمد قسيم فهيم) (born 1957 in Omarz, Afghanistan) is a prominent Military Commander and Politician. He was the Defense Minister of the Afghan Transitional Administration, beginning in 2002 and also served as vice president. Later Fahim was removed as defense minister by President Hamid Karzai on December 23, 2004, as the transitional administration gave way to a popularly-elected administration. Fahim is a member of Afghanistan's large Tajik ethnic group. Fahim is the recipient of the Ahmad Shah Baba Medal. He is fluent in Persian, Pashto and Arabic. He is affiliated with Jamiat Islami party of Afghanistan.
Contents |
[edit] Early Years
“After completing his primary and secondary education in Panjshir, Fahim joined the Arabic Institute in Kabul (a.k.a Darul-Olume-Arabi-Kabul) in pursuit of his higher education, he managed to complete his higher education in Islamic law. After the 1978 coup, he immigrated to Pakistan, where he joined the anti-Soviet resistance. In 1979, he returned to his homeland and joined the armed struggle against the Communist regime in Shigal, Kunar. In 1980, he joined Commander Ahmad Shah Massoud and played a key role in establishing resistance centers in Panjshir and in other parts of the country. He served as mujahideen commander in the Andarab district of Baghlan province.”
“In 1981, Fahim headed a high-level delegation of mujahideen to the northeast provinces of Badakhshan, Baghlan, Kunduz and Takhar to mobilize the mujahideen. Alongside Massoud, Sen. Fahim played a key role in creating Shora-e Nizar in November 1984, which was key element to the collapse of the Soviet regime." In 1987, Fahim was the overall commander of the north of Kabul, and in 1989 he successfully led the mission to the northern provinces of Mazar-e Sharif, Jowzjan and Faryab to further expand and mobilize mujahideen forces.” He played a fundamental role in persuading Dostum to join the Mujahideen forces.
[edit] Post 1990
“After the collapse of Dr. Najibullah's regime in April 1992, Fahim led mujahideen forces in the capture of Kabul. In the same year, he was appointed Minister for National Security. He played a central role in defeating a coup launched against the mujahideen government by the so-called Coordination Coalition in 1993. After the Taliban occupied the country in 1996, Sen. Fahim served as commander of the mujahideen north of Kabul. From 1997 until the martyrdom of Massoud, Fahim was the mujahideen commander of the northeast."
[edit] Post 9/11
During the Soviet war in Afghanistan, Fahim rose through the ranks, becoming one of Masood's principle military deputies and head of intelligence. On September 13, 2001, Fahim was confirmed as the defence minister of the Northern Alliance, succeeding Ahmad Shah Massoud. Masood had been assassinated two days earlier on September 9, 2001 by al-Qaeda operatives posing as journalists.
"Fahim was appointed general commander of the mujahideen resistance forces. In November 2001, he marched on Kabul together with U.S. Coalition Forces to rescue the country from terrorism and to secure democracy. After the Bonn Agreement in December 2001 and the subsequent establishment of the Afghan Interim Authority, he was appointed as the First Vice President and Minister of Defense."
By September 22, Fahim was in Tajikistan holding talks with Russian army chief Anatoly Kvashnin. As defence minister, Fahim was the effective leader of the Northern Alliance, along with his supporters Yunus Qanuni and Dr Abdullah. In the transitional administration, many commentators considered him to be more powerful than the President, Hamid Karzai.
As Defense Minister he toured army bases in the United Kingdom, negotiated security issues with U.S. General Tommy Franks and Canadian Defense Minister John McCallum, NATO Secretary General George Robertson, visited Moscow and Washington, DC. He also replaced 15 ethnic Tajik generals with officers from the Pashtun, Uzbek and Hazara ethnic groups.
While holding the position, he continued to command his own militia. However, on December 10, 2003, he ordered part of his militia to transport their weapons (including 11 tanks, 10 rocket-launchers and two scud missiles) to an Afghan National Army installation near Kabul.
In June of 2003, a bomb was found in front of his home. Later in the year, the head of his personal security died at the hands of a suicide bomber.
On September 12, 2003, Miloon Kothari, appointed by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to investigate housing rights in Afghanistan, announced that many of the government ministers including Fahim and Education Minister Yunus Qanuni were illegally occupying land and should be removed from their posts. However, three days later, Kothari sent a letter to Lakhdar Brahimi, the head of the U.N. in Afghanistan, saying he had gone too far in naming the ministers.
Mohammed Fahim was not chosen by Karzai's to be one of his Vice Presidents; subsequently he backed the candidacy of his fellow Tajik, Yunus Qanuni. After Karzai's victory in the presidential elections, he was not reappointed Defense Minister. However in a decree made in December 2004, Karzai confirmed that Fahim would hold the rank of Marshal, Afghanistan's highest, for life, with all rights and privileges. In 2006, Karzai, faced with a resurgent Taliban, returned Fahim to Government as an advisor.
Some Afghan analysts attest that, despite losing his military position, Fahim still remains a powerful figure in the political arena of the country. “[He] is particularly popular among people in the north, because he had fought Soviet Russia, and later the Taleban and Al-Qa'idah. He spent many years fighting aggressors.” (Erada, 2005)
Later in the year 2006, in an interview Karzai said, "Marshal Fahim is one of the sons of our [mujahedin], a patriot and [a man who loves] his country. I have a great deal of respect for Marshall Fahim. He has been my close friend and confidant. He has his own unique place in Afghanistan. He has been a respectable military man. He is a five-star general. And he is a senator." Regarding his decision in appointing Fahim as one of his advisors, Karzai added that "I hope that officially as my adviser, he will continue to cooperate with me. He comes to all of the National Security Council meetings. His is my dear brother. No one can ever reduce the respect that Marshal Fahim has earned for himself."(Azadi Radio, April 5, 2006)
He is a member of the leadership council of the United National Front, which is a coalition of top national and regional leaders. Other members include Prof. Rabbani, Qanuni and others.
[edit] External links
- Afghanistan Online Biography of Mohammed Qasim Fahim
- globalsecurity.org - Afghanistan Politics: Mohammed Qasim Fahim
- Azadi Radio, Karzai Interview
- Official Biography as the member of Afghanistan's senate
- Erada Weekly, 2005
| Preceded by Ahmed Shah Masood |
Minister of Defense September 2001 – December 2004 |
Succeeded by Abdurrahim Wardak |
