بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
(وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا وَإِنَّ اللهَ لَمَعَ المُحْسِنِينَ) [العنكبوت:(69)
الحمد لله رب العالمین ، والعاقبة للمتقین ، والصلاة والسلام علی سید الانبیاء والمرسلین ، قائد المجاهدین نبینا ومولانا محمد علیه افضل الصلوات والتسلیم وعلی آله وأصحابه ومن اهتدی بهدیه اجمعین وبعد.
The prominent figureheads of Jihad generally possess distinct leadership qualities. They are usually either naturally gifted with these capabilities or they master them through learning and studying other Jihadi leaders. Due to their deep sincerity and devotion, these Jihadi leaders are granted with exceptional divine generosity, support and benevolence as Almighty Allah says:
(وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا وَإِنَّ اللهَ لَمَعَ المُحْسِنِينَ) [العنكبوت:(69)
Translation: (And as for those who strive to meet Us – We will surely guide them in Our ways. And verily, ALLAH is with those who do good.) [Al-Ankaboot:69]
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is considered an impregnable front of Jihad and struggle against international infidelity and tyranny whose founding founders are by the grace of Almighty Allah bequeathed with extraordinary proficiency and skills as leaders and guides.
The founder of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan himself, the late Mullah Mohammad Umar Mujahid (may his soul rest in peace) was a living anthology of such leadership qualities. Amidst the battlefield of Jihad and combating international infidelity, he successfully managed to transfer these lofty aptitudes of Muslim leadership qualities to several of his Mujahidin brothers who were his intimate colleagues, struggling together in the thorny path of establishing the sacred and sovereign system of Allah, the Almighty.
His Excellency, the late Amir-ul-Momineen Mullah Mohammad Umar Mujahid (may his soul rest in peace) was the spiritual and moral guide of new students of the Jihadi madrassa [Mujahidin] as well as being their military leader. The Umari Jihadi Madrassa trained and graduated many high caliber personalities during his lifetime and under his leadership, each one perfectly capable of guiding the Muslim masses in the most critical junctures of this era.
It is established religious foundations rather than particular personalities which play a pivotal role in ideological and Jihadi movements. Everything here is organized on the basis of Jihad and ideology. Teachings of the Holy Quran and noble deeds of our Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his rightly guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with all of them) are the role models for the followers of these movements.
The core responsibility of the leadership in such ideological movements is merely to educate its members and followers both morally and ideologically and to impart them with spiritual passion and commitment.
Upon founding the Taliban Islamic Movement and establishment of the Islamic Emirate, his Excellency late Amir-ul-Momineen Mullah Mohammad Umar Mujahid (may his soul rest in peace) mentored for future leadership several Mujahidin who displayed foresight and leadership traits, capable of leading this Jihadi caravan to its goal and destination even in the most critical circumstances of Jihad and persistent struggle. Such fearless and courageous personalities who were undaunted by the most difficult of conditions nor influenced by dangerous temporal or spatial circumstances.
Among these foresighted vigilant personalities and pupils of the enduring Umari Madrassa is the newly selected leader of the Islamic Emirate, His Excellency Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur (may Allah safeguard him) who practically handled leadership affairs of the Islamic Emirate during the lifetime of late Amir-ul-Momineen (may his soul rest in peace) and was appointed as the new head (leader) of the Islamic Emirate by Ahl hal wal Aqd dignitaries of the Islamic Emirate, religious scholars, Jihadi leaders and various other public figures after the announcement of his (RA) passing away.
Although the new leader of the Islamic Emirate is a well-recognized figure in all Jihadi spheres whoever to better acquaint his Excellency Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur to all the Mujahidin of the Islamic Emirate and the general masses of the Muslim world having affection with the Islamic Emirate, it is deemed appropriate to write down a few lines about his life and personality.
- His birth:
His Excellency, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur s/o Alhaj Mohammad Jan was born in 1347 Hijri (solar) – 1968 Gregorian in Band-i-Taimoor village of Maiwand district in Kandahar province.
As his family was well-known in the area for their affection for religion and learning and his father particularly held deep love for knowledge therefore his top priority for the healthy upbringing of his son was religious education.
- Early Education:
His Excellency Mansur Sahib, under the guidance of his father assumed his religious education in the village mosque and joined the local primary school for his early studies at the age of seven. As he showed signs of wisdom, acumen and insight in his early childhood, he received special care and attention from his father as well as all his teachers.
Due to his deep love for learning, he successfully completed his early education in a considerably short period of time. He left his home in pursuit of secondary education, joining various bigger distinguished madrassas where he completed his studies all the while earning a reputation as an intelligent and honest pupil among his contemporaries due to his innate acumen and excellent Islamic ethics.
He had not yet begun his higher education when the political control of Afghanistan fell to the Communists and the Afghan Mujahid nation rose up and began their Islamic revolution against them.
- His Jihadi and political struggle:
Due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1978, the Afghan Mujahid masses began their Islamic resistance (Jihad) against them.
His Excellency, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansur, who was now in his mid-teen years and had intended to complete his religious education left them unfinished and began waging armed Jihad in the middle years of the Russian occupation due his Jihadi passion.
But due to his deep love for learning, he would continue his studies under the supervision of his benevolent teachers upon returning from Jihadi fronts. It was with this sheer resolve that he completed his second to last year of studies and before beginning the final year studies, he left for the frontlines once and for all.
His Excellency Mansur Sahib who had just entered his early twenties was a strong and courageous young man who had purposely assumed armed Jihad as a valiant Mujahid to defend his creed and country against the invading Soviets and their internal stooge communists.
In 1985 he chose his Jihadi front in Kandahar by joining the famous Jihadi group of late commander Qari Azizullah and continued his Jihad against the occupying (former) Soviet forces and their internal communist puppets in Pashmul area of Panjwai district under the supervision of a well-known Jihadi figure Alhaj Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhond, who would later be selected as deputy head of the ministerial council during the rule of the Islamic Emirate. The Jihadi group of late Qari Azizullah was associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Movement of eminent Jihadi leader late Moulavi Mohammad Nabi Muhammadi. After the martyrdom of Qari Azizullah, this group was linked under the leadership of Commander Mullah Haji Mohammad with the Islamic Party of prominent Jihadi leader Moulavi Mohmmad Younun Khalis.
His Excellency, Mansur Sahib actively participated in various military operations against the former Soviet occupying forces and their internal stooges. In 1987, during a direct assault on a strategic Russian military post in Sanzary area of Panjwai district in Kandahar, he was injured with thirteen wounds on his body and later recovered by the grace of Almighty Allah. He was injured for a second time in May 1997 at Mazar-i-Sharif airport during the reign of the Islamic Emirate and subsequently captured by the opponent forces.
- His foundational role in the Islamic Movement of Taliban:
After the collapse of communist regime inside Afghanistan and the outbreak of civil war in 1992, Mansur Sahib laid down his arms just like all the sincere Mujahidin and did not support any party in the illegitimate war for power.
His Excellency Mansur Sahib, who was a renowned Mujahid at the time, abandoned all factional activities resembling other well-known local Jihadi and military personalities like the late Mullah Mohammad Rabbani, late Haji Mullah Mohammad and late Mullah Bor Jan. He started living an ordinary life and began engaging in various educational and training activities.
In 1994 when the Islamic Movement of Taliban was founded by His Excellency Amir-ul-Momineen late Mullah Mohammad Umar Mujahid (may his soul rest in peace), Mansur Sahib played a crucial role in the organization and development of this movement. Due to his Jihadi and administrative proficiencies, he was tasked major responsibilities by the then head of the Islamic Movement of Taliban which are as following:
- After the conquest of Kandahar province and subsequent successes of Taliban Islamic Movement in south western zone, His Excellency Amir-ul-Momineen late Mullah Mohammad Umar Mujahid (may his soul rest in peace) appointed Mansur Sahib as the director general of Kandahar Airport due to the trust he placed in the administrative and Jihadi talents displayed by him.
- When Kandahar province fell to the Taliban, he was given the responsibility of air force and air defense system of Kandahar.
- After the conquest of the capital Kabul in 1996, he was appointed as the minister of aviation and tourism.
- Simultaneously with heading the ministry, he was placed in charge of the Emirate’s air-force and air-defense in the ministry of defense on the basis of a special decree of late Amir-ul-Momineen.
While heading the aviation and tourism ministry of Afghanistan, he completed a number of new and reconstruction projects which are briefly discussed in the following lines:
When the capital city of Kabul came under the control of the Islamic Emirate, the main buildings and premises of aviation ministry inside this city were heavily damaged due to the internal factional fighting. Due to his reconstruction policy, Mansur Sahib successfully managed to repair all the damaged planes of this ministry and rebuilt the main airbases.
At that
