H.E. Mohammad Ismael Khan

H.E. Alhaj Muhammad Ismael Khan, son of Muhammad Aslam, was born in Shindand District of Herat Province in 1948, and completed his primary education till 6th class at Wahez e Kashefi School in 1959. In 1960, he was admitted to the military education school Harbe Shuwanzy and then to the Military University (Harbe Pohantoon) in 1966. In 1969, he graduated with the highest grade in the field of Air defense and joined the country’s armed forces and took on important responsibilities until 1978 in the 17th Military division (Zulmay Kott) of Herat Province. After the Saur coup d’état, which happened in collaboration with a good number of patriotic military officers and led to a massive move of Herat people in 1979, H.E. Khan managed and led the uprising of the Herat military division. Soon he joined the jihad rank and led the holy jihad in this province.

In 1981, he, with respect to demand and determination of the people and Mujahedin of Herat, was selected as Amir of Jihad of Herat, and in 1983 he was nominated as Amir of the South Western zone of the country. Following the conquer of Herat province by Mujahedin and subsequently upon the collapse of Dr. Najibullah’s sovereignty, he designated and assumed responsibilities as Herat’s governor, Commander of Military Corps 4 and Amir of the South Western zone of Afghanistan. Following the occupation of Western provinces of Afghanistan by Talib fractions, he assumed the leadership of resistance fronts in western parts of the country and in the year 1997, he was arrested by Taliban. He remained in a Kandahar prison until 2000.

In 2000, he was set free from the captivity of Taliban with the support of a number of Mujahedin supporters and people of the Kandahar and Helmand provinces and regained the leadership of the resistance front in the West of Afghanistan. After the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001, he was recruited in the position as Governor of Herat Province and later as commander of Corps 4 during the Interim and Transitional Islamic governments of Afghanistan, where he fulfilled grave responsibilities. During his official services, he was designated as Herat’s Governor and launched extensive projects aiming at reconstructing and rehabilitating Herat Province with support from the Central government, and as result of these untiring endeavors, the war-hit face of the city changed into a reconstructed town. He then was appointed as Minister of Energy and Water (MEW), during the formation of the elected government.

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