# Ministry of Defense (Afghanistan)

The Ministry of Defense (Dari: وزارت دفاع ملی, Wizārat-e Difā'-e Millī, Pashto: د ملي دفاع وزارت, Də Millī Difā' Wizārat) is the cabinet ministry of Afghanistan responsible for overseeing the Afghan Armed Forces (currently referred to as the Islamic Emirate Armed Forces). The ministry is located in Kabul.

## The Democratic Republic period

From the 30th of April until 9 August 1978, Abdul Qadir succeeded the slain Ghulam Haidar Rasuli as Defense Minister of the DRA, responsible for the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, until being succeeded by General Aslam Watanjar. In 1990 forces loyal to Minister of Defense Shahnawaz Tanai and Hezbi Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar attempted a fail coup against then President Najibullah. His forces were thwarted by General Aslam Watanjar who was rewarded the post of Minister of Defence. Watanjar would be the last Minister of Defense of the DRA/ROA. The government collapsed in 1992.
Additionally, the Ministry of Defense also had their own annual publication titled “The Military Magazine” (Pashto: د اردو مجله, Dari: مجله ارتش) which began in 1967, under the Kingdom of Afghanistan. This was continued under the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.

## The Islamic Republic period

During the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004–2021), the defense minister was nominated by the President of Afghanistan and the National Assembly made the final approval.
One of the functions of the Defense Ministry during that period was the continuance of disarming insurgent groups, through programmes such as the Afghan New Beginnings Programme (which included the rehabilitation and reintegration of child soldiers). These militant groups coalesced from warlords and former army personnel after the collapse of the Najibullah government in 1992.

## List of ministers

Prior to 1929, Afghanistan had no ministers of defense but rather ministers of war.

### Ministers of War

* Mohammad Nadir, May 1919 to January 1922
* Mohammad Hashim, January 1922 to September 1922
* Mohammad Nadir, September 1922 to April 1924
* Muhammad Wali, April 1924 to June 1924
* Abdul Aziz Barakzai, June 1924 to January 1929

### Ministers of Defense

| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political affiliation | Political affiliation | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political affiliation | Political affiliation | Ref. |
| 1 | | Sayyid Husayn (?–1929) | January 1929 | March 1929 | 2 months | | Saqqawist | |
| 2 | | Purdil Khan (?–1930) | March 1929 | October 1929 | 7 months | | Saqqawist | |
| 3 | | Shah Mahmud Khan (1890–1959) | 1929 | 1947 | 17–18 years | | Independent | |
| – | | Amanul Mulk (?–c. 2011) | c. 1944 | c. 1946 | 1–2 years | | Unknown | |
| 4 | | Mohammad Daoud Khan (1909–1978) | 1947 | 1948 | 0–1 years | | Independent | |
| 5 | | Gen. Muhammad Umar (1898–1964) | 1948 | 1952 | 3–4 years | | Unknown | |
| 6 | | Muhammad Aref | 1952 | 1958 | 5–6 years | | Unknown | |
| (4) | | Mohammad Daoud Khan (1909–1978) | 1958 | 1963 | 4–5 years | | Independent | |
| 7 | | Khan Muhammad (–) | 1963 | 1973 | 9–10 years | | Unknown | |
| (4) | | Mohammad Daoud Khan (1909–1978) | 1973 | 1973 | 0 years | | Independent | |
| 8 | | Abdul Karim Mustaghni (1911–2004) | 1973 | 1977 | 3–4 years | | Republican (from 1974) | |
| 9 | | Ghulam Haidar Rasuli (1919–1978) | 7 November 1977 | 28 April 1978 | 172 days | | Republican | |
| 10 | | Abdul Qadir (1944–2014) | 27 April 1978 | 17 August 1978 | 112 days | | PDPA–Parcham | |
| 11 | | Nur Muhammad Taraki (1917–1979) | 17 August 1978 | 1 April 1979 | 227 days | | PDPA–Khalq | |
| 12 | | Mohammad Aslam Watanjar (1946–2000) | 1 April 1979 | 28 July 1979 | 118 days | | PDPA–Khalq | |
| 13 | | Hafizullah Amin (1929–1979) | 28 July 1979 | 27 December 1979 | 152 days | | PDPA | |
| 14 | | Mohammed Rafie (born 1946) | 28 December 1979 | 1982 | 2–3 years | | PDPA |
| (10) | | Abdul Qadir (1944–2014) | 1982 | September 1984 | 1–2 years | | PDPA–Parcham | |
| 15 | | Nazar Mohammad (1935–1998) | 4 December 1984 | 4 December 1986 | 2 years | | PDPA–Khalq | |
| (14) | | Mohammed Rafie (born 1946) | December 1986 | May 1988 | 1 year, 5 months | | PDPA | |
| 16 | | Shahnawaz Tanai (1950–2022) | May 1988 | March 1990 | 1 year, 10 months | | PDPA–Khalq | |
| (12) | | Mohammad Aslam Watanjar (1946–2000) | March 1990 | April 1992 | 2 years, 1 month | | PDPA–Khalq | |
| – | | Ahmad Shah Massoud (1953–2001) | 28 April 1992 | 28 June 1992 | 61 days | | Jamiat-e Islami | |
| 17 | | Ahmad Shah Massoud (1953–2001) | 28 June 1992 | 9 September 2001 | 9 years, 73 days | | Jamiat-e Islami | |
| 18 | | Obaidullah Akhund (1968–2010) | April 1997 | 9 September 2001 | 4 years, 5 months | | Taliban | |
| 19 | | Mohammed Fahim (1957–2014) | 9 September 2001 | 23 December 2004 | 3 years, 105 days | | Jamiat-e Islami | |
| 20 | | Abdul Rahim Wardak (born 1945) | 23 December 2004 | 7 August 2012 | 7 years, 228 days | | Mahaz-e-Milli-ye Islami | |
| – | | Enayatullah Nazari (born 1954) acting | 8 August 2012 | 15 September 2012 | 38 days | | Jamiat-e Islami | |
| 21 | | Bismillah Khan Mohammadi (born 1961) | 15 September 2012 | 24 May 2015 | 2 years, 251 days | | Jamiat-e Islami | |
| – | | Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai (born 1958) acting | 24 May 2015 | 20 June 2016 | 1 year, 27 days | | Independent (Military) | |
| 22 | | Abdullah Habibi (born 1952) | 20 June 2016 | 24 April 2017 | 308 days | | Independent (Military) | |
| 23 | | Tariq Shah Bahramee (born 1967) | 24 April 2017 | 23 December 2018 | 1 year, 243 days | | Independent (Military) | |
| – | | Asadullah Khalid (born 1970) | 23 December 2018 | 21 November 2020 | 1 year, 334 days | | Ittehad-e Islami | |
| 24 | | Asadullah Khalid (born 1970) | 21 November 2020 | 19 March 2021 | 118 days | | Ittehad-e Islami | |
| – | | Yasin Zia acting | 19 March 2021 | 19 June 2021 | 92 days | | Independent (Military) | |
| (21) | | Bismillah Khan Mohammadi (born 1961) | 19 June 2021 | 15 August 2021 | 57 days | | Jamiat-e Islami | |
| – | | Abdul Qayyum Zakir (born 1973) acting | 24 August 2021 | 7 September 2021 | 14 days | | Taliban | |
| – | | Mullah Yaqoob (born 1990) acting | 7 September 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 189 days | | Taliban | |