Abdul Wahid Baba Jan

General Abdul Wahid Baba Jan
Born Afghanistan
Allegiance People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, Jamiat-e Islami, Government of Afghanistan
Service/branch People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, Mujahideen, Afghan National Army
Rank General

General Abdul Wahid Baba Jan, an ethnic Tajik from Parwan province and better known simply as "General Babajan", was a member of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan during the presidency of Dr. Najibullah. Abdul-Wahid participated in the 1979 USSR invasion of Afghanistan when he secretly supported the takeover of Kabul.

He was promoted to General and was the commander of the Kabul Garrison during the fall of Dr. Najibullah's government until he joined the forces of Ahmed Shah Massoud and Jamiat-e Islami, where he was a member of the senior command. According to some sources he was in charge of directing the long-range rockets used against Hezbe Wahdat and Hezb-i Islami.[1] The same report states that a battalion commander under his command, Habiburahman Parandi, controlled the areas above Kart-i-Sakhi hill up to a part of Ministry of Agriculture and commanded an artillery battery.[2] Units under his command were also involved in the massacres at Afshar.[3]

After the defeat of the Mujahideen, General Babajan joined the Northern Alliance. In October 2001, when the attacks against the Taliban by American forces began, General Babajan was controlling approximately 2000 forces at Bagram Airbase.[4] Following the fall of the Taliban he was appointed as Chief of Police for Kabul in 2003 replacing Abdul Baseer Salangi. In 2005 he was transferred to Herat.[5] He has since retired from official politics and moved to business, and was able to secure a lucrative contract to supply forces at Bagram Airbase.[6]

His nephew has been linked with corruption. Afghan International Trucking run by the nephew of the General was reported to be paying USD 20,000 a month in kickbacks to a US Army contracting official. Baba Jan himself claims to have no knowledge of his relative's dealings.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Afghanistan Justice Project. "Casting Shadows: War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, 1978-2001." 2005. Accessed at: http://www.afghanistanjusticeproject.org/ [Accessed on 10 November 2009], pg 65.
  2. ↑ 141 Cooperation Centre for Afghanistan, Human Rights Department, Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 2 (May 1994) 2.
  3. ↑ Human Rights Watch. "Blood Stained Hands: Past atrocities in Kabul and Afghanistan's Legacy of Impunity." 2005. Accessed at: www.hrw.org/reports/2005/afghanistan0605/afghanistan0605.pdf [Accessed on 22 November 2009]
  4. ↑ Cockburn, Patrick. "Cluster Bombs over Charicar." The Independent. 5 October 2001 Accessed at: http://www.counterpunch.org/pcockburn10.html
  5. ↑ Tarzi, Amin. Global Security. "KABUL POLICE CHIEF SACKED... " 25 September 2003. Accessed at: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2003/09/33-250903.htm [Accessed on 10 November 2009]
  6. ↑ Cockburn, Patrick. "A land darkened by the shadow of the Taliban." 3 May 2009, Accessed at: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/patrick-cockburn-a-land-darkened-by-the-shadow-of-the-taliban-1678131.html
  7. ↑ Roston, Aram. "How the US Funds the Taliban." The Nation. Accessed at: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20091130/roston/2
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