, honorific-suffix = , image = , caption = , office = Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Afghanistan , term_start = 4 March 2022 , term_end = , predecessor = , successor = , 1blankname = Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces , 1namedata = Qari Fasihuddin , office1 =

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of Logar , term_start1 = 7 November 2021 , term_end1 = 14 March 2022 , predecessor1 =

Muhammad Ali Jan Ahmad , honorific-suffix = , image = , caption = , office = Governor of Paktia , term_start = 7 November 2021 , term_end = , predecessor = Mullah Haji Hamza , successor ...

, successor1 = Maulvi Inayatullah , primeminister1 = Hasan Akhund , 1blankname1 =

Emir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...

, 1namedata1 = Hibatullah Akhundzada , birth_place = , allegiance = , nationality = , branch = , rank = , commands = , battles = , residence = Haji Mali Khan ( ps, حاجي مالي خان) is an Afghan

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

politician, and former military commander. Khan has served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

since 4 March 2022. From 7 November 2021 to 14 March 2022, he served as governor of Logar Province. Prior to his governmental service, he was considered one of the leaders of the Haqqani network, a "semi-autonomous" offshoot of the

Life

Mali Khan is a

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

from the

Zadran tribe The Zadran ( ps, ځدراڼ ''dzadrāṇ''; pronounced ''dzādroṇ'' in the Khost-Paktia dialect), also spelled Dzadran or Jadran, is a Pashtun tribe that inhabits the Loya Paktia region in southeastern Afghanistan (Khost, Paktia, and Paktika pro ...

. His sister is the mother of five of Jalaludin Haqqani's sons and hence Mali Khan is uncle to Sirajuddin Haqqani. Mali Khan was a senior Haqqani commander in Afghanistan, in charge of troop movements and support between the

North Waziristan District North Waziristan District ( ps, شمالي وزیرستان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanist ...

in Pakistan and the Loya Paktia (the Khost,

Paktia Paktia (Pashto/Dari: – ''Paktyā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughly 6 ...

, and

Paktika Paktika (Pashto/Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktika has a population of about 789,000, mostly ethnic Pashtuns. The town of Sharana ...

provinces of Afghanistan). In the 2009–2010, Mali Khan established bases for Haqqani fighters in the Mangal tribal areas of Paktia Province. During this time he promoted the movement of Taliban forces from Pakistan to Afghanistan. Among his duties was acting as an emissary between Baitullah Mehsud and the Haqqanis. He was captured by ISAF forces on 27 September 2011, during a raid in Musakhel District, a Haqqani network stronghold in Khost Province. He was released in a prisoner swap in November 2019. Several mounths after his release he was reported back at work for the Haqqani network, in military coordination and logistics. When the

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

was re-established, following the withdrawal of NATO troops in August 2021, Mali Khan became part of the Afghan government and was appointed as governor of Logar Province.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Mali Living people Taliban governors Governors of Logar Province Year of birth missing (living people) Taliban commanders