Mohammed Nadjibullah

Mohammed Nadjibullah (or Nadjiboullah, Najibullah) (born in August 1947 with Gardiz, Afghanistan, carried out by the tâlebân the September 27th 1996 with Kabul) was the fourth and last president of the Democratic republic of Afghanistan.

First years

Born with Kabul from a family Pachtoune, he attended the Habibia college then the Université of Kabul where he obtained a diploma for the occupation of doctor in 1975. Its square physique will be worth the nickname of " later on to him; Najib-e-Gaw " (Nadjib the Bull) of the share its adversaries.

It quickly joined the Parcham a faction of the Democratic party of the Afghan people in 1965, where the figurehead is then that of Babrak Karmal. Nadjibullah and Massoud knew each other as of their more tender youth, indeed they lived in the same street in Kabul.

Political career

As of 1977 Nadjib appears in the central committee of PDPA and the following year, it integrates the revolutionary council. The other faction of the Afghan Communist party, the Khalq, is essential soon on the detriment of Parcham. Nadjiboullah is thus drawn aside from the leading authorities, with an exile gilded as ambassador in Iran. In prey with the vindication of the " Khalq" , like almost all " partchamis" , it is revoked and relieved of its Afghan nationality. It is exiled then in the Eastern European countries then in Soviet Union.

It returns to Kabul following the Soviet invasion of 1979/1980. Babrak Karmal, at the instigation of the Soviets, places it at the head of the Khâd , the Afghan secret police, where this doctor announces himself like of torture of a rare cruelty, and incidentally like director of innumerable executions of opponents of all edges, which they are Communists " khalqis" , of " modjaheddin " (resistant), or people simply presumedly critical with regard to the Communist regime. Its zeal is worth to him to succeed, in May 1986, in Babrak Karmal as chief of the Communist regime.

President of the Republic (September 1987 - April 1992)

In November 1986, Hadji Mohammad Chamkani, succeeding Babrak Karmal, becomes president by interim. As a chief of the secret services, Mohammed Nadjibullah ensures the reality of the capacity. A new constitution is adopted: establishment of a multiple system of parties, freedom of expression, and re-establishment of the legal Islam chaired by an independent justice. In this way it stabilizes its political position vis-a-vis the prospect for the withdrawal of the Soviet troops: the July 20th 1987, the Soviet withdrawal of the troops S is indeed announced.

It is also during its presidency that Soviet successes of 1985 - 1986 took place: the camps of Moudjahiddin on the border Pakistan ease were severely touched, Soviet also launched great offensives in the areas of Hérat and Kandahar concerning hard the rebels.

In July 1987, Nadjibullah proposes to the rebels a national reconciliation in their offering 20 seats to the Council of State, 12 ministers and the post of Prime Minister, as well as a transformation of Afghanistan like an islamist non-aligned state. The questions of police force, safety as military are not mentioned. But this offer is pushed back on several occasions whereas the moderate islamist rebellious parties were close accepting it.

Nadjibullah then reorganizes the government to face alone with the moudjahiddin and launches a campaign of " reconciliation nationale". A Loya Jirga indicates it on September 30th, 1987 as Head of the State in title to replace Chamkani, which finds the post of Vice-president that it occupied under Babrak Karmal: the new constitution between in force in November 1987, the name of the country becomes again " Republic of Afghanistan" and the Council of State is replaced by an National Assembly where all the parties can reach (except the islamist ones). Mir Hussein Shark, man of the civil society belonging to no party, is named Prime Minister.

The June 7th 1988 chair it Nadjibullah is expressed with the General meeting of the United Nations, and proposes a peace plan for Afghanistan.

Soviet withdrawal and civil war

Just after the Soviet departure, Najibullah reorganizes the government which underwent an internal crisis, and declares the state of emergency after the removal of a minister; replace all the ministers without parties of the government. The Soviet Union continues to help Afghanistan militarily, economically and by providing emergency aid in food and carburizing due to rigorous winters (in 1989 and 1990) involving losses of harvests.

Most of military equipment pertaining to the Soviet units evacuating the Europe of the East is provided to Afghanistan, with a assured provisioning; the Afghan Air force, which had developed a tactic reducing to the minimum the threat of the missiles Stinger, discourages attacks of mass against the cities. Missiles with average carried, in particular of the Scud S, are launched successfully from Kabul for the defense of Jalalabad, 235 away kilometers.

The victory of Jalalabad clearly restores moral government of Kabul. Its army proves that it is able to fight effectively beside the already hardened troops of the Soviet-qualified special forces of safety. The defections decrease clearly when it became obvious that resistance was in the most total disorder without possibility for it of considering a fast victory.

The Soviet support reached a value of 3 billion dollars per annum in 1990. Kabul had carried out a victory which showed the weaknesses of the moudjahiddins, policy and soldier. The government of Najibullah survived during two more years. Thereafter, divisions in its own rows, including the defection of the general Abdul Rachid Dostom weaken the resistance of the government.

In March 1990, its government resists a coup d'etat of Khald, directed by the Minister for defense Shahnawaz Tanai. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was one of the principal defenders of the coup d'etat.

Nadjibullah works with a compromise to finish the civil war with Ahmad Shah Massoud, supported by the the United Nations but the discussions turn short and the government falls. In 1992 Nadjibullah agrees to line up in favor of a transitory government. He also announces that a Parliament pluripartite would be established " in a few months, " on the " basis; free elections and démocratiques".

During the month of April 1992 the mode crumbles under the pressure of the rebels, but the reserves of ammunition and considerable weapons that Nadjibullah had preserved are useful during the civil war between Moudjahiddin and Talibans. During the winter 1992, Kabul, private of the Soviet assistance (the USSR having disappeared and Nadjibullah having resigned), finds without fuel nor food.

Mohammed Nadjibullah had announced the possibility of a resignation as of on March 18th, 1992 in order to allow the installation of a government of interim; April 16th, 1992, it is put in minority by its own party and is forced to resign following the loss of the air base of Bagram as well as town of Charikar by the rebels of Jamiat-i Islam.

Fall of Kabul

The Kabul April 17th, 1992 fall between the hands from the Moudjahiddin, Nadjibullah tries to flee Kabul for Moscow but it is prevented by it by Abdul Rachid Dostom. It finds refuge in the building of the the United Nations to Kabul, where it remains in virtual detention until 1996.

Catch of Kabul by the talibans, assassination of Nadjibullah

Before the fall of Kabul a report/ratio of the the United Nations made echo of the alarming situation in which President Nadjibullah was: (chapter 22) www.un.org/french/news/afghanistan/sg_rep/50_908add1F.pdf

However nothing was done to save it, the international community as a whole and more particularly the Moslem countries, firmly condemned the assassination of Nadjibullah, and UNO its despair in a report/ratio of the safety advice after his assassination. Resolutions were taken against the government Taliban following his execution.

The day of the catch of Sarobi by the talibans, Nadjibullah sends a distress message to the the United Nations with Islamabad requiring of them to evacuate it Kabul with his/her brother Shahpur Ahmadzai, and their companions. But UNO does not answer because of the jamming of its S.O.S by the special services Pakistani favorable to the talibans. His Fataba wife and her three daughters had taken refuge with New Delhi in 1992.

Massoud then ordering armed forces would have required of Nadjibullah to follow the Moudjahiddin in their retirement towards north ensuring the passage to him towards a country of the ex-USSR, Nadjibullah would have refused.

Nadjibullah sends a last desperate message via the radio U.N. specialist towards Islamabad but it was too late: a special commando Taliban of five men, under the orders of mollah Abdul Razak, military chief of the talibans, had been appointed to remove it. Nadjibullah is trailed apart from the building of the United Nations, like his/her brother and his companions.

They torture it, force it to sign papers related to the Ligne Durand (delimiting the border between the Afghanistan and the Pakistan), then Nadjibullah and his/her brother is transported to the presidential palace, again tortured then killed. To finish the talibans suspended their bodies with the signposts right apart from the Palate where formerly he had criticized Pakistan for his intervention in the Afghan war with only a few blocks of the seat of the United Nations with Kabul.

The Mollah Mohammed Rabbani (no family ties with president Rabbani), named with the head of the supreme council in Kabul declares that Mohammed Nadjibullah had been condemned to died to have been Communiste and murderer and prohibits a religious burial to him. Its body is brought back to Gardez (province of Paktia), where it had been born, to be buried there.

In its book the shade of the Talibans , Ahmed Rashid tells the last moments of Nadjibullah: “The Talibans entered the room of Nadjibullah, passed it to tobacco, like his/her brother, and threw the two unconscious men with the back of a van which went to the presidential palace plunged in the darkness. There, they castrated Nadjibullah and trailed its body behind a jeep, before completing it of a ball. His/her brother undergoes same tortures and was strangled. The Talibans hung the two corpses with a signpost out of concrete, right in front of the palate, with some blocks of houses of the buildings of the United Nations. (Photograph of tortured Nadjibullah died then hung in Kabul the September 27th and 28th 1996! Can shock!) At dawn, curious inhabitants came to look at the two inflated and mutilated bodies hung by wire. They had cigarettes between the fingers and the overflowing pockets of Afghan banknotes, for better transmitting the message of the talibans on their vice and their corruption. The two other companions of Nadjibullah were escaped. Caught up with whereas they tried to flee the city, they were also tortured and hung” , continues Ahmed Rashid. ”