Abdul Hakim Jan was an anti-Taliban militia leader in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He was killed in a suicide bombing while at a dog fight, on February 17, 2008.[1][2] The suicide attack that killed him was described[by whom?] as "the deadliest attack of its kind in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban", killing approximately 80 people. Abdul Hakim Jan was said[by whom?] to be the target.[citation needed]
Abdul Hakim Jan "Agha" عبدالحکيم جان اغا | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | |
| Died | February 17, 2008 |
| Occupation | Chief of Police Kandahar |
| Employer | Afghan Government |
Hakim Jan was a former provincial police chief, prior to the Taliban's assumption of power.[2] Wolesi Jirga representative Khalid Pashtoon described him as the only leader to have opposed the Taliban.[3] In October 2007, following the death of Mullah Naqib, he was considered a candidate for leader of the Alokozais tribe.[4] The Globe and Mail described him as "relatively uneducated".[citation needed]
References
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"Afghanistan blast kills dozens". CBC News. 2008-02-17. Archived from the original on 2008-06-19.
Officials blamed the Taliban and said police Chief Abdul Hakim Jan, a prominent pro-government militia commander who was fighting the militants, died in the attack.
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Faiez, M. Karim; King, Laura (2008-02-18). "Taliban foe among 80 slain in blast". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21.
Jan, a former provincial police chief, had defied the Taliban as the austere Islamist movement rose to prominence in the 1990s. More recently, he led a locally recruited force that worked in concert with Afghan police and soldiers. His fighters operated in Arghandab, an area just north of Kandahar that was seized by the Taliban last year, then recaptured by Afghan and NATO troops. Jan was the only person who stood against the Taliban and fought with for about two weeks in their stronghold, Kandahar, in 1999. Since he had only seven soldier, it was impossible for him to fight long, he fled the country and went in exile to Pakistan. Taliban could not defeat, arrest or kill him.
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"Afghan Bomber Targets Market Place". Sky News. 2008-02-18. Archived from the original on 2012-10-07.
Jan was the provincial police chief in Kandahar in the early 1990s and was the only commander in the province to stand up against the Taliban during its rule, said Khalid Pashtun, a parliamentarian who represents Kandahar.
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Omar El Akkad, Graeme Smith (2007-10-13). "Mullah's death leaves Kandahar exposed". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04.
Other leading candidates will be Malim Akbar, the brother of slain Kandahar police chief Zabit Akrem Khakrezwal; and Abdul Hakim Jan, a relatively uneducated police commander in Arghandab.