Amanullah Guzar Attempts to Maintain Stability in Kabul

It was just one week after the series of deadly explosions in Kabul that newly appointed Kabul police chief Amanullah Guzar announced that his forces had arrested seven people responsible for the blasts (Radio Liberty, July 13). One of the suspects, Qari Hakim Mullah, was an alleged mastermind of suicide operations in Kabul. Upon a search of his home in the capital, several remote-controlled bombs and weapons were discovered. Guzar’s success in arresting Qari Hakim Mullah speaks to his powerful presence as the new police chief of Kabul. Appointed during the May 29 riots in Kabul, Guzar promised that he would establish control of the capital’s security situation (Sabawoon Online, June 14). One of his first acts after taking office was to intensify night patrols in the capital; prior to Guzar’s appointment, night patrols were not as strict or as frequent. Additionally, in his first days on the job, Guzar increased security by instituting a curfew that helped to control the chaotic situation in the capital as a result of the riots. Indeed, at the time of Guzar’s appointment, the May 29 riots changed the face of Kabul; the riots caused what was labeled the worst security situation in Kabul since the fall of the Taliban. While Guzar has established some control in Kabul, the international community has criticized his appointment as police chief due to his alleged past human rights abuses. According to international diplomats, Guzar has been linked to land theft and extortion in his home territory in the Shomali plains, which is in Parwan province north of Kabul (Terrorism Monitor, June 29). As a result of these criticisms, it is important to understand Guzar’s background and his effect on the security situation in Kabul.

Amanullah Guzar, a 43 year-old ethnic Tajik, was born in a rural-based family in Guzar village, situated in Shakardareh district north of Kabul province. Guzar did not receive higher education, and when he was 18 joined the mujahideen to fight the Soviets. During the jihad against the Soviets, Guzar fought on behalf of Burhanuddin Rabbani’s Jamiat Islami party; at this time, Guzar was not yet considered an important leader. Yet when the Taliban captured Kabul in 1996, Guzar fought well on the frontline in his own village against the Taliban. His fighting led Northern Alliance military leader Ahmad Shah Massoud to appoint him as the commander of Alliance forces north of Kabul, according to a former Jamiat Islami commander, Mir Haider Mutuhar, who spoke to The Jamestown Foundation on July 12. According to General Saleh Rigestani, who recounted to The Jamestown Foundation the history of Guzar’s commanding since 1996, Guzar was a very combative commander until the ouster of the Taliban; he was one of the senior commanders of Northern Alliance forces.

Since the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001, Guzar has worked in the Afghan National Police. At first, during the interim and transitional state of Afghanistan, he was appointed as the 8th Division Commander. Then, Guzar assumed the post of commander of the northern highway patrol (pz.rawa.org, June 5). Overall, Guzar is considered to be an effective leader for securing Kabul. According to Mutahar, “Guzar can control Kabul well because he is aware of everybody in this city and is native to the area. He is well aware of the places where anti-government elements are active in the capital.” Furthermore, Rigestani explained that Guzar has been a serious and accountable mujahid during the 20 years that he has known him. He said, “The majority of the Kabul population is from the north and Amanullah Guzar knows how to deal with them. He can have success in his current post.”

Now, more than one month after his appointment, many are hoping that Guzar’s past achievements will help him to increase government control over the capital and to maintain stability in a precarious security environment.