Jamil al-Rahman
Mawlawi Muhammad Hussain also known as Jamil al-Rahman al-Afghani (1939–1991) was the leader of "Jama’at al-Da’wa ila al-Quran wal-Sunna", a Salafist organisation located in Kunar Province of Afghanistan. Early life. Born in 1939 at Ningalam in the Pech valley, Kunar Province, he was a member of the Safi Pashtun tribe, and was educated at the Panjpir madrasah, a Salafi institution financed by Saudi Arabia. Role in the mujahideen insurgency. During the 1970s, he joined the Islamist Muslim Youth movement led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. In 1978, as a member of Hekmatyar's "Hezbi  Islami", he journeyed between Kunar and Pakistan, organizing attacks against the Khalq regime, including the killing of a Khalqi schoolteacher. In 1979, after the insurgency had taken hold in Kunar, Jamil al-Rahman became the amir of "Hezbi Islami" in that province. In order to gain control of the insurgency, he worked to undermine independent mujahideen fronts. In the summer of 1979, he played a controversial role in the mutiny of Afghan Army troops at Asmar, with most of the parties involved blaming him for the failure of the uprising. The soldiers, who had intended to join the mujahideen, eventually  dispersed, and their weapons were sold by "Hezbi Islami" in Pakistan. Establishment of "Jamaat al Dawa al Quran". In 1985 (or 1986–1987, depending on sources) he established his own movement known as the "Jama'at al Da'wa ila al Qur'an wa-Sunna". This group, theologically close to the "Jamiat Ahle Hadith", was known for its harsh treatment of civilians in government-controlled areas. Due to his personal background and the proximity of the Bajaur Agency where many Arab militants were active, Jamil al-Rahman was able to secure funding from Saudi Arabia (reportedly from King Fahd himself) and Kuwait, allowing him  to operate independently. Many Arab volunteers, in particular Egyptians, joined his movement. Creation of a Islamic Emirate of Kunar. After the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1988, Kunar province fell entirely under mujahideen control. In the recently captured areas, armed groups committed many atrocities against the civilian population, and fought each other for supremacy over the province. Kunar, which had already suffered heavily during repeated Soviet offensives, was devastated by these clashes. Jamil al-Rahman managed to gradually eliminate all his rivals, until the only other remaining force in Kunar was that of "Hezbi Islami". In March 1990, the two  groups agreed to form a joint shura, but differences quickly reappeared, in particular over the question of the Gulf War. While Hekmatyar took an anti-American, anti-Saudi monarchy stance, Jamil al-Rahman chose to support his Saudi and Kuwaiti patrons. In January 1991 Jamil al-Rahman unilaterally proclaimed the creation of the Islamic Emirate of Kunar. He appointed his own ministers of Defense, Interior, Foreign Affairs, Justice, Information, Finance and Education. In accordance with his Salafi creed, Jamil al-Rahman tried to eradicate Afghan traditions which he considered un-Islamic, such as the use of flags over the graves  of martyrs fallen in the jihad, and the building of monuments over the tombs of holy men (pirs). In the spring of 1991 fighting resumed between Jamil al-Rahman's forces and "Hezbi Islami", which lost most of its bases in Kunar. This prompted Hekmatyar to launch a counterattack with several hundred men, in cooperation of other mujahideen factions. On April 20, 1991, an explosion in his Asadabad headquarters, apparently the result of a Scud missile strike, killed many of Jamil al-Rahman's followers and he was overthrown by Hekmatyar. Local witnesses reported that the salafists were massacred by  Hekmatyars men. Jamil al-Rahman was forced to flee to Pakistan. Death. On August 30, 1991, a young Egyptian journalist named Abdullah Rumi affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood came to al-Rahman’s home in Bajaur. Al-Rahman’s guards, believing he was part of the Arab-led peace council, did not search him. The young journalist went to al-Rahman’s side where he was seated, as though to ask him a question. He then drew a pistol and shot him three times. Rumi immediately committed suicide without explaining his act. Al-Rahman cried out “Allah is the greatest !” and fell dead. Aftermath of the Death. Al-Rahman’s death shocked the Saudi royal family, Grand Mufti Bin Baz, and the broader Saudi religious establishment. In spite of his many enemies, al-Rahman’s murder reverberated throughout the Salafi mujahideen community, and his death and the subsequent dissolution of the Islamic Emirate of Kunar was major topic of discussion in Salafi mujahideen communities for years to come. Not long after al-Rahman’s assassination, the state that he founded disappeared.