Back أمر الله صالح Arabic امر الله صالح ARZ Əmrulla Saleh Azerbaijani امرالله صالح AZB Амрула Салег BE-X-OLD আমরুল্লাহ সালেহ Bengali/Bangla Amrulláh Sálih Czech Amrullah Saleh German Αμρουλάχ Σαλέχ Greek Amrullah Saleh Spanish
Amrullah Saleh | |
|---|---|
امرالله صالح | |
.jpg) Saleh in 2011 | |
| First Vice President of Afghanistan | |
| In office 19 February 2020 – 15 August 2021 | |
| President | Ashraf Ghani |
| Preceded by | Abdul Rashid Dostum |
| Succeeded by | Sirajuddin Haqqani (as First Deputy Leader) |
| Acting Interior Minister of Afghanistan | |
| In office 23 December 2018 – 19 January 2019 | |
| President | Ashraf Ghani |
| Preceded by | Wais Barmak |
| Succeeded by | Masoud Andarabi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 October 1972 Panjshir, Afghanistan |
| Political party | Basej-e Milli |
| Children | 5 |
Amrullah Saleh (Pashto/Dari: امرالله صالح [amrʊlˈlɒːh sɒːˈleː(h)]; born 15 October 1972) is an Afghan politician who was the first vice president of Afghanistan from February 2020 to August 2021, and acting minister of Interior Affairs from 2018 to 2019.[1] After the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021, Saleh declared himself the "caretaker" president of Afghanistan and announced the resistance against the Taliban.[2][3] He was the head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) from 2004 to 2010.
A member of the mujahideen during the civil war against Afghanistan's communist government, Saleh later joined Ahmad Shah Massoud's Northern Alliance, an anti-Taliban coalition in the northeast of the country.[4] In 1997, Saleh became the head of the Northern Alliance's liaison office inside the Afghan Embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, handling contacts with international non-governmental organizations and intelligence agencies.[5] As head of the NDS, Saleh directed efforts to infiltrate the Taliban and locate Osama bin Laden. Saleh resigned from the NDS in 2010 amidst worsening relations with President Hamid Karzai, founding Basej-e Milli ("National Movement"), a pro-democracy and anti-Taliban political party, shortly afterward.[6] In March 2017, he was appointed State Minister for Security Reforms by President Ashraf Ghani, serving until his resignation in June of that year.[7] Saleh became the acting Minister of Interior Affairs in December 2018, but resigned less than a month later to become Ghani's running mate for first vice president in the 2019 presidential election.[8] Ghani's ticket won the election, and Saleh became first vice president in 25 February 2020.
Saleh was a powerful political figure in Afghanistan and has been the target of numerous assassination attempts.[9] An outspoken critic of the Taliban and Pakistan,[10][11] Saleh has been described as combative[12] and as having a hard-working nature.[13]
Following the 15 Aug 2021 fall of Kabul to the Taliban, Ghani fled the country and Saleh relocated to the Panjshir Valley. There, Saleh proclaimed himself the caretaker president of Afghanistan and announced the formation of the National Resistance Front, an anti-Taliban resistance movement, alongside Ahmad Massoud.[3][14] Saleh fled to Tajikistan shortly after the Taliban seized control of most of Panjshir on 6 September 2021.[15][16][17]
- ^ "Afghan officials resign over attack". Central and South Asia: AlJazeera. 6 June 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- ^ "Afghan vice president says he is "caretaker" president". reuters.com. 17 August 2021. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ a b "An anti-Taliban front forming in Panjshir? Ex top spy Saleh, son of 'Lion of Panjshir' meet at citadel". The Week. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
pbs.orgwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
bbc.co.ukwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Gallwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Saleh Appointed As State Minister For Security Reforms". Tolonews. 12 March 2017.
- ^ "Afghan interior minister resigns to join President Ghani's election..." Reuters. 19 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ "Amrullah Saleh: Why is he on Afghanistan's hit list?". TRT World. 9 September 2020. Archived from the original on 10 September 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Afghan VP Saleh escapes bomb attack in Kabul, 10 killed". Al Jazeera. 9 September 2020. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ Rubin, Alissa J. (6 June 2010). "Afghan Leader Forces Out Top 2 Security Officials". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Enigmatic Afghan Vice-President Saleh vows to keep fighting". France 24. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ Nemati, Asma. "Afghanistan Descends even Deeper into Chaos as Two Top Officials Resign". Centre for International Governance Innovation. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Afghan Vice President Saleh Declares Himself Caretaker President; Reaches Out To Leaders for Support". News18. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ "Amrullah Saleh in Tajikistan? Afghanistan's Ex-VP May Have Made 'Tactical Retreat' as Taliban Closed In". News18. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
- ^ Filseth, Trevor (23 September 2021). "After Renegade Province's Fall, Panjshir Resistance Leaders Surface in Tajikistan". The National Interest. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Panjshir Resistance folds up for now; Saleh reportedly in Tajikistan, Massoud in France". The Tribune. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.