Afghan Biographies

Turkman, Qasim Sheikh


Name Turkman, Qasim Sheikh
Ethnic backgr. Turkmen
Date of birth
Function/Grade Member of Taliban Negotiation team
History and Biodata

2. Previous Function:
Member of Taliban Negotiation team (20200913)
3. Biodata:
Sheikh Mohammad Qasim Turkman Qasem Turkman is one of the more mysterious appointees to the negotiators’ list. According to media reports, he is a member of the movement’s leadership council, the Quetta Shura, based in Pakistan. Sources on the ground came up with conflicting and patchy information. There is agreement that he is Turkmen in ethnicity (as his name suggests) and thus one of the few non-Pashtuns in leadership circles, possibly a token appointment in order to show that the Taleban represent all ethnic groups. Beyond that initial accounts differ. He seems to hail from Jawzjan province (some media have him hailing from Kunduz) and received a religious education in Pakistan. According to one source, one of his former students, Sheikh Qasim has lived for more than 30 years in Peshawar, Pakistan. There, he has been running a madrassa for students mostly from the Turkic community. According another source, in 2004 and 2005, when the Taleban were re-grouping, he was in charge of Outreach and Guidance, which among others meant recruiting fighters and doing some messaging. In 2009, he was allegedly put in charge of this task for 20 provinces. 

He speaks Turkman, Dari, Urdu and English  

Last Modified 2020-09-13
Established 2020-09-13