Ziauddin is a citizen 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 ...

, who helped lead the ouster of the

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 ...

. Ziauddin is a Tajik ethnic groupmember and was rewarded with command of some of the

Afghan Transitional Authority Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity **Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pash ...

's security forces in

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 ...

Province in 2002. He feuded with other pro-US militia leaders and fell out with the US occupiers.

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

reports that Ziauddin was once allied with the Taliban. Human Rights Watch reported, in July 2003: In March 2002 Ziauddin and Abdullah Mujahid played a role in containing a large force of Taliban who were reported to have been hiding in a large cave complex. In September 2002 Ziauddin was authorized to attack the forces of

Pacha Khan Zadran Pacha Khan Zadran ( ps, پاچا خان ځدراڼ) is a militia leader and a politician in the southeast of Afghanistan. He was an ex anti-Soviet-fighter militia leader who played a role in driving the Taliban from Paktia Province in the 2001 inva ...

, the leader of a rival militia, who was no longer subordinating his authority to that of the central government. On September 30, 2002 Ziauddin reported his troops, supported by heavy artillery, had taken Sayed Karam where Pack Khan Zadran had his headquarters. Ziauddin went into hiding when his lifelong friend, colleague and fellow anti-Taliban leader, Abdullah Mujahid was denounced and sent to the

Guantanamo Bay detention camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp ( es, Centro de detención de la bahía de Guantánamo) is a United States military prison located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also referred to as Guantánamo, GTMO, and Gitmo (), on the coast of Guant ...

s, in Cuba, in July 2003. Ziauddin and Mujahid are members of Afghanistan's Tajik ethnic minority.

, their main rival, a fellow anti-Taliban leader who had been rewarded with a security appointment in Paktia, is a member of the majority group, the

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 ...

. Ziauddin himself was apprehended, and spent a year in the

Bagram Theater detention facility The Parwan Detention Facility (also called Detention Facility in Parwan or Bagram prison) is Afghanistan's main military prison. Situated next to the Bagram Air Base in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan, the prison was built by the U.S. during t ...

Staff Sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...

Clint Douglas, formerly stationed in Gardez, described Ziauddin as an ally and a "thug". He claimed Ziauddin was responsible for rocket attacks on the American base in Gardez. Douglas described Ziauddin as a Pashtun. On January 16, 2010, the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

was forced to publish the names of the 645 captives held in the

Bagram Theater Internment Facility The Parwan Detention Facility (also called Detention Facility in Parwan or Bagram prison) is Afghanistan's main military prison. Situated next to the Bagram Air Base in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan, the prison was built by the U.S. during t ...

. One of the individuals on the list was named Ziauddin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ziauddin Afghan politicians Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Bagram Theater Internment Facility detainees Afghan Tajik people