Abdullah Gulam Rasoul

Abdul Qayyum
Born	1973 (age 37–38)
Released	2007 Pul-e-Charkhi prison
Citizenship	Afghanistan
Detained at	Guantanamo
Alternate name	Abdul Qhulam Rasoul Abdullah Zakir Qayyum Zakir Y Abdhullah
ISN	8
Status	repatriated

Abdul Qayyum "Zakir" (born circa 1973), alias Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul,^[1][2] is a citizen of Afghanistan previously held in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba.^[3] His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 8. JTF-GTMO analysts estimate he was born in 1973, in Helmand, He grew up in northern Afghanistan.^[1]

The Times reports that he had been transferred from US custody in Guantanamo to Afghan custody in the American built wing of the Pul-e-Charkhi prison.^[2] On March 9, 2009, the Department of Defense reported that he had emerged as a Taliban leader following his release.^[4][5]

On March 4, 2010, the Associated Press reported he was under consideration to replace Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar as number two in the Taliban's chain of command, after his recent arrest in Pakistan.^[6]

Inconsistent identification

On March 4, 2010, senior Afghan intelligence officials told the Associated Press that the captive known as "Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul" was really "Abdul Qayyum", and that Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul had been his father's name.^[6] They reported his nom de guerre is "Qayyum Zakir". Anand Gopal reports that "Zakir" was the name used on the Taliban's radio network and that his real name is "Abdul Qayyum".^[1]

• He was named Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul on most of the documents published by the Department of Defense.^[3]
• He was named Mullah Y Abdhullah on the Summary of Evidence memo prepared for his 2007 annual Administrative Review Board.

Post-transfer activity

After his transfer to Afghanistan, Zakir is reported to have been transferred to the American wing of the Pul-e-Charkhi prison.^[2] The Times quoted United Kingdom Member of Parliament Patrick Mercer's surprise that Afghan authorities released Zakir.

Mercer, a member of the British Parliament's counter-terrorism subcommittee, said:

“The Americans presumably let him go from Guantánamo Bay in order for him to be kept in custody in Afghanistan. We need to know why the Afghan authorities released him.”

The Times also quoted Peter M. Ryan, an American lawyer who represented another former captive who had been held in Pul-e-Charkhi.^[2] He described the Afghan review procedure in Pul-e-Charkhi as "chaotic", and more influenced by tribal politics than by guilt or innocence.

British officials believed Zakir became the Taliban's operations commander in southern Afghanistan soon after his release and blamed him for masterminding an increase in roadside attacks against British and American troops.^[2]

The New York Times reported that Zakir led a December 2008-January 2009 delegation to the Pakistani Taliban to convince them to refocus their efforts away from the Pakistani government and towards the American-led forces in Afghanistan.

The Christian Science Monitor reported that Zakir was involved in the creation of the Taliban "rule book".^[1]

Claims he has become a Taliban leader

On March 9, 2009, the Department of Defense reported that he had emerged as a Taliban leader following his release.^[4][5]

On March 1, 2010, The News International reported that "Abdul Qayyum Zakir" was part of the Taliban's Quetta Shura, and that he had been captured in recent raids along with nine other leaders, the most senior of which was Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.^[7] I addition to Baradar, the raids were reported to have captured Mullah Mir Muhammad, Mullah Abdul Salam Abdul Salam, Maulvi Abdul Kabir, Mullah Muhammad Hassan, Mullah Abdul Rauf^{[disambiguation needed ]}, Mullah Ahmad Jan Akhundzada, Mullah Muhammad Younis.

On March 4, 2010, The Associated Press reported "two senior Afghan intelligence officials" claimed Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul had emerged to be a senior Taliban leader.^[6][8]

A Newsweek article in mid-May, 2011 detailed Zakir's operations as military leader of the Taliban, operating in Quetta without Pakistani interference while organizing a major springtime offensive in Afghanistan.^[9]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Anand Gopal (2010-04-30). "Qayyum Zakir: The Taliban's Rising Mastermind". The Christian Science Monitor. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2010/0430/Qayyum-Zakir-the-Afghanistan-Taliban-s-rising-mastermind. Retrieved 2010-05-31. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Michael Evans, Catherine Philp (2009-03-13). "Afghans pressed to explain release of Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul". London: The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5898261.ece. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "List of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from January 2002 through May 15, 2006" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. 2006-05-15. http://www.dod.mil/news/May2006/d20060515%20List.pdf. Retrieved 2006-05-15. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Pamla Hess (2009-03-11). "Officials: Taliban ops chief once held at Gitmo". Associated Press. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gepueqQ9a2V5zxXES7DoGnVhSFHwD96RM5GG0. Retrieved 2009-03-12.  mirror
5. ^ ^{a b} "Ex-detainee 'now Taliban commander'". Associated Press. 2009-03-11. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jXaWnBcGiGl6Bw5_Vaddh_Ig-wKg. Retrieved 2009-03-12.  mirror
6. ^ ^{a b c} Kathy Gannon (2010-03-04). "Former Gitmo detainee said running Afghan battles". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fhostednews%2Fap%2Farticle%2FALeqM5hL0_7gIP5NdWVPUvNq-FKM6EepegD9E7IN900&date=2010-03-04. "Abdul Qayyum is also seen as a leading candidate to be the next No. 2 in the Afghan Taliban hierarchy, said the officials, interviewed last week by The Associated Press." 
7. ^ Amir Mir (2010-03-01). "Pakistan wipes out half of Quetta Shura". The News International. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenews.com.pk%2Ftop_story_detail.asp%3FId%3D27544&date=2010-03-04. "According to well-informed diplomatic circles in Islamabad, the decision-makers in the powerful Pakistani establishment seem to have concluded in view of the ever-growing nexus between the Pakistani and the Afghan Taliban that they are now one and the same and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Quetta Shura Taliban (QST) could no more be treated as two separate Jihadi entities." 
8. ^ "Ex-Gitmo detainee now a Taliban commander". Daily Times. 2010-03-04. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytimes.com.pk%2Fdefault.asp%3Fpage%3D2010%5C%5C03%5C%5C04%5C%5Cstory_4-3-2010_pg7_37&date=2010-03-04. "A man who was freed from the Guantanamo Bay after he claimed he only wanted to go home and help his family is now a senior commander running Taliban resistance to the US-led offensive in southern Afghanistan, two senior Afghan intelligence officials said." 
9. ^ The Taliban After Bin Laden, Newsweek, Ron Moreau, May 15, 2011

External links

Biography portal

• Who are 'the worst of the worst'? Andy Worthington

Persondata
Name	Rasoul, Abdullah Gulam
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1973
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death