Afghan Biographies

Rais-e Baghran


Name Rais-e Baghran
Ethnic backgr. Pashtun
Date of birth
Function/Grade Warlord northern Helmand Province
History and Biodata

3. Biodata:

Abdul Wahid hails from Baghran area in the southwestern Helmand province. He is from a prominent landowning ruling family, hence the title Raees-i-Baghran (chief of Baghran).

He was a known mujahideen commander fighting the Soviet occupation troops during the 1980s. Later, like everybody else he joined the Taliban and rose to prominent position in the movement. He also gained access to Taliban leader Mulla Mohammad Omar.

Commander Abdul Wahid had become inactive in the Taliban movement.There were no reports of his involvement in the Taliban-led resistance in Afghanistan. Abdul Wahid's name was missing when Mulla Omar announced his 10-member "Rehbari Shura" (leadership council) in 2003 to organise the resistance. All those named on the council had been top Taliban military commanders and were still loyal to Mulla Omar. The absence of Abdul Wahid from the council was an indication that he wasn't active in the Taliban guerrilla campaign and no longer enjoyed Mulla Omar's trust.

Abdul Wahid had been running a long drawn-out feud with Helmand Governor Mulla Sher Mohammad Akhundzada. The two had been rival military commanders and had joined different mujahideen groups. Akhundzada fled to Iran when the Taliban captured Helmand in 1995. In his absence, Abdul Wahid became powerful and gained in influence. For the first time now, Abdul Wahid and Akhundzada are in the same camp, which is the one put together by the US and the Karzai government.

Rais-e Baghran aka Mullah Abdul Wahid is a strongman in control in Baghran District, Helmand Province. he is a former Mujaheddin and Taleban commander who has ruled Baghran during successive regimes. He joined the reconciliation program in 2005 and has lived in Kabul ever since. It is widely assumed that he keeps channels to his former comrades open. Abdul Wahed Haqqani (not related to the eastern Haqqanis) – better known as Rais-e Baghran (the Boss of Baghran) – is Karzai’s main ally from Baghran. He is a so-called ‘reconciled Taleban’ who surrendered on January 5, 2002.

Northern Helmand is not just suffering from the scramble between the Taleban and government forces, but also from the conflict over who on the government’s side will be picked to regain control of the area. In a May 2013 meeting with the President on the situation in Helmand, the two rivals, Rais-e Baghran and former Helmand governor Sher Mohammad Akhundzada, are said to have entered into an argument over who should be given this task. If one of the two gets picked, it is quite conceivable that the other will work to undermine whatever gains are made, a regular pattern in Afghan politics. It is, anyway, quite remarkable that in all these years no serious effort has been made to regain Taliban controlled Baghran. This may be linked to the fact that Karzai feels that, through his connection with Rais-e Baghran, who in turn has links to both sides, he still somehow controls the area.

Last Modified 2013-06-12
Established 2013-06-12