Afghan Interim Administration
Encyclopedia
The Afghan Interim Administration (AIA) was the first administration of Afghanistan
after the fall of the Taliban regime and was the highest authority of the country from 22 December 2001 until 13 July 2003.
started the UN sponsored an international conference in Bonn, Germany with Afghan anti-Taliban leaders to re-create the State of Afghanistan and form an interim government.
The Bonn Agreement
established an Afghan Interim Authority which would be established upon the official transfer of power on 22 December 2001. The Interim Authority would consist of Interim Administration a Supreme Court of Afghanistan and a Special Independent Commission for the Convening of an Emergency Loya Jirga
(Grand Council). The Emergency Loya Jirga was to be held within 6 months after the establishing of the AIA and would put in place an Afghan Transitional Authority which would replace the Afghan Interim Authority.
The Afghan Interim Administration, the most important part of the Interim Authority, would be composed of a Chairman, five Vice Chairmen and 24 other members which each head a department of the Interim Administration. Decided was that Pashtun
leader Hamid Karzai
would be the chairman of the Interim Administration.
At the Loya Jirga
of 13 July 2002 the Interim Administration was replaced by a Transitional administration.
or United Islamic Front; the "Cypress group," a group of exiles with ties to Iran; the "Rome group," loyal to former King Mohammad Zaher Shah, who lived in exile in Rome and did not attend the meeting; and the "Peshawar group," a group of mostly Pashtun exiles based in Pakistan. At the time of the conference half of Afghanistan was in the hands of the Northern Alliance, including Kabul
were Northern Alliance President Burhanuddin Rabbani
had taken over the Presidential Palace and said that any talks on the future of Afghanistan should take place inside the country.
There was a lot of debate about who would lead the interim government. Rabbani didn't want the Bonn Conference to decide on names for the interim government but after pressure from the US and Russia
the Northern Alliance delegation headed by younger leader Yunus Qanuni
, decided to go on with the talks with or without the support of Rabbani.
At the beginning of the conference it seemed that King Zahir Shah had a lot of support, but the Northern alliance opposed this. By the final days of the conference, it was down to two candidates: Pashtun leader Hamid Karzai
, whom the U.S. was promoting as a viable candidate and Abdul Sittar Sirat, whose name was proposed by the Rome group. Because of worries that Afghans Pashtun majority would be alienated by the selection of Uzbek Abdul Sittar Sirat, the Bonn conference agreed that Karzai would head the Interim Administration. The Northern Alliance received about half of the posts in the interim cabinet, and members of the Rome group were named to eight positions.
Subsequently the Interim cabinet is filled with warlords with private militias. Among the most notable members of the interim administration were the trio Yunus Qanuni
, Mohammad Fahim and Abdullah Abdullah
, three of the most powerful leaders of the Northern Alliance.
Afghanland profile of interim administration
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
after the fall of the Taliban regime and was the highest authority of the country from 22 December 2001 until 13 July 2003.
Background
After the September 11 attacks the US launched Operation Enduring Freedom to remove the Taliban regime from power and create a viable democratic state. Just after the warWar in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
started the UN sponsored an international conference in Bonn, Germany with Afghan anti-Taliban leaders to re-create the State of Afghanistan and form an interim government.
The Bonn Agreement
Bonn Agreement (Afghanistan)
Officially the Agreement on Provisional Arrangements in Afghanistan Pending the Re-Establishment of Permanent Government Institutions, the Bonn Agreement was the initial series of agreements intended to re-create the State of Afghanistan following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in response to the...
established an Afghan Interim Authority which would be established upon the official transfer of power on 22 December 2001. The Interim Authority would consist of Interim Administration a Supreme Court of Afghanistan and a Special Independent Commission for the Convening of an Emergency Loya Jirga
Loya jirga
A loya jirga is a type of jirga regarded as "grand assembly," a phrase in the Pashto language meaning "grand council." A loya jirga is a mass meeting usually prepared for major events such as choosing a new king, adopting a constitution, or discussing important national political or emergency...
(Grand Council). The Emergency Loya Jirga was to be held within 6 months after the establishing of the AIA and would put in place an Afghan Transitional Authority which would replace the Afghan Interim Authority.
The Afghan Interim Administration, the most important part of the Interim Authority, would be composed of a Chairman, five Vice Chairmen and 24 other members which each head a department of the Interim Administration. Decided was that Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
leader Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
would be the chairman of the Interim Administration.
At the Loya Jirga
Loya jirga
A loya jirga is a type of jirga regarded as "grand assembly," a phrase in the Pashto language meaning "grand council." A loya jirga is a mass meeting usually prepared for major events such as choosing a new king, adopting a constitution, or discussing important national political or emergency...
of 13 July 2002 the Interim Administration was replaced by a Transitional administration.
Negotiations in Bonn
Four delegations of anti-Taliban ethnic factions attended the Bonn Conference: the Northern AllianceNorthern Alliance
The Afghan Northern Alliance is a military-political umbrella organization created by the Islamic State of Afghanistan in 1996.Northern Alliance may also refer to:*Northern Alliance , a Canadian white supremacist group...
or United Islamic Front; the "Cypress group," a group of exiles with ties to Iran; the "Rome group," loyal to former King Mohammad Zaher Shah, who lived in exile in Rome and did not attend the meeting; and the "Peshawar group," a group of mostly Pashtun exiles based in Pakistan. At the time of the conference half of Afghanistan was in the hands of the Northern Alliance, including Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
were Northern Alliance President Burhanuddin Rabbani
Burhanuddin Rabbani
Professor Burhanuddin Rabbani was President of the Islamic State of Afghanistan from 1992 to 1996. After the Taliban government was toppled during Operation Enduring Freedom, Rabbani returned to Kabul and served as a temporary President from November to December 20, 2001, when Hamid Karzai was...
had taken over the Presidential Palace and said that any talks on the future of Afghanistan should take place inside the country.
There was a lot of debate about who would lead the interim government. Rabbani didn't want the Bonn Conference to decide on names for the interim government but after pressure from the US and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
the Northern Alliance delegation headed by younger leader Yunus Qanuni
Yunus Qanuni
Yunus Qanuni is a politician in Afghanistan. An ethnic Tajik from the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan, Qanuni is the leader of the Afghanistan e Naween political party and former Speaker of the House of the People .-Pre Election...
, decided to go on with the talks with or without the support of Rabbani.
At the beginning of the conference it seemed that King Zahir Shah had a lot of support, but the Northern alliance opposed this. By the final days of the conference, it was down to two candidates: Pashtun leader Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
, whom the U.S. was promoting as a viable candidate and Abdul Sittar Sirat, whose name was proposed by the Rome group. Because of worries that Afghans Pashtun majority would be alienated by the selection of Uzbek Abdul Sittar Sirat, the Bonn conference agreed that Karzai would head the Interim Administration. The Northern Alliance received about half of the posts in the interim cabinet, and members of the Rome group were named to eight positions.
Subsequently the Interim cabinet is filled with warlords with private militias. Among the most notable members of the interim administration were the trio Yunus Qanuni
Yunus Qanuni
Yunus Qanuni is a politician in Afghanistan. An ethnic Tajik from the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan, Qanuni is the leader of the Afghanistan e Naween political party and former Speaker of the House of the People .-Pre Election...
, Mohammad Fahim and Abdullah Abdullah
Abdullah Abdullah
Abdullah Abdullah is an Afghan politician and a doctor of medicine. He was an adviser and friend to Ahmad Shah Massoud, legendary anti-Taliban leader and commander known as the "Lion of Panjshir". After the fall of the Taliban regime, Dr. Abdullah served as Afghanistan's Foreign Minister from 2001...
, three of the most powerful leaders of the Northern Alliance.
Composition of Afghan Interim Administration
| Interim Administration Position |
Name | Ethnicity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Hamid Karzai Hamid Karzai Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001... |
Pashtun Pashtun people Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan... |
Independent Pashtun tribal leader in exile in Pakistan |
| Vice-Chair and Defense Minister |
Mohammed Fahim Mohammed Fahim Mohammad Qasim Fahim is an Afghan military commander, politician and the First Vice President since November 2009. He was the Defense Minister of the Afghan Transitional Administration, beginning in 2002 and also served as Vice President from June 2002 to December 2004... |
Tajik | Defense Minister of the United Islamic Front |
| Vice–Chair and Women's Affairs |
Sima Samar Sima Samar Dr. Sima Samar OC is a politician in Afghanistan, who served as Minister of Women's Affairs of Afghanistan from December 2001 to 2003... |
Hazara | Founder of the Shuhada Organization and Shuhada Clinic in Quetta Quetta is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the... , Rome Group. |
| Vice-Chair and Planning Minister |
Mohammed Mohaqqeq | Hazara | Warlord fighting against the Taliban for the People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan is a political party in Afghanistan, formed after a split in the Hezbe Wahdat. The party is led by Mohammed Mohaqiq.... in the United Islamic Front |
| Vice-Chair and Water and Energy Minister |
Ahmed Shakar Karkar | Uzbek Uzbeks The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China... |
United Islamic Front |
| Vice-Chair and Finance Minister |
Hedayat Amin Arsala | Pashtun Pashtun people Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan... |
Foreign Minister of the Islamic State of Afghanistan Islamic State of Afghanistan The Islamic State of Afghanistan was the name of the state of Afghanistan after the collapse of the communist regime, the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, in 1992. In 1996, the country was renamed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan by the Taliban, after seizing control of the majority of the... in the 90s. Rome group. |
| Foreign Minister | Abdullah Abdullah Abdullah Abdullah Abdullah Abdullah is an Afghan politician and a doctor of medicine. He was an adviser and friend to Ahmad Shah Massoud, legendary anti-Taliban leader and commander known as the "Lion of Panjshir". After the fall of the Taliban regime, Dr. Abdullah served as Afghanistan's Foreign Minister from 2001... |
Tajik | Foreign Minister of the United Islamic Front |
| Interior Minister | Yunus Qanooni | Tajik | Interior Minister of the United Islamic Front |
| Communications Minister | Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahim (Engineer) Engineer Abdul Rahim was appointed the Afghan Communications Minister of the Afghan Interim Administration -- the first post-Taliban government in 2002.Abdul Rahim was from the Tajik ethnic group.... |
Tajik | United Islamic Front |
| Borders Minister | Amanullah Zadran Amanullah Zadran Amanullah Khan Zadran is a citizen of Afghanistan who has held several prominent positions of power.Amanullah was a Taliban leader, who defected after the American invasion, and who Afghan President Hamid Karzai appointed to his cabinet as Minister of Tribal and Border Affairs in December... |
Pashtun Pashtun people Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan... |
Taliban leader, who defected after the American invasion, Rome Group |
| Refugees Minister | Intayatullah Nazeri | Tajik | United Islamic Front |
| Small Industries Minister | Aref Noozari | Pashtun Pashtun people Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan... |
United Islamic Front |
| Mines and Industry Minister | Mohammed Alim Razm | Uzbek Uzbeks The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China... |
United Islamic Front |
| Health Minister | Sohaila Siddiqi | Pashtun Pashtun people Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan... |
Has been in the governments of king Mohammed Zahir Shah Mohammed Zahir Shah Mohammed Zahir Shah was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning for four decades, from 1933 until he was ousted by a coup in 1973... and the communist regime of the 1970s and 1980s. Independent |
| Commerce Minister Afghan Commerce Minister Current and past governments of Afghanistan have included a Minister of Commerce in the Afghan cabinet.... |
Sayed Mustafa Kasemi | Shiite Muslim | Spokesmen and leader of United National Front |
| Agriculture Minister | Sayed Hussain Anwari | Hazara | Chief military commander of the Harakat-e Islami in the United National Front |
| Justice Minister | Abbas Karimi | Uzbek Uzbeks The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China... |
United Islamic Front |
| Information and Culture Minister | Saeed Makhdoom Rahim | Tajik | Poet and writer, Rome group |
| Reconstruction Minister | Mohammed Fahim Farhang | Pashtun Pashtun people Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan... |
Rome Group |
| Haj and Mosques Minister | Mohammad Hanif Balkhi | Tajik | Independent |
| Urban Affairs Minister | Abdul Qadir Abdul Qadir (Afghan leader) Hajji Abdul Qadir Arsala was a former anti-Taliban leader in the United Islamic Front in Afghanistan... |
Pashtun Pashtun people Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan... |
Leader in the United National Front for the Hezb-e Islami Khalis faction |
| Public Works Minister | Abdul Khalig Fazal | Pashtun Pashtun people Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan... |
Rome group |
| Irrigation Minister | Mangal Hussein | Pashtun Pashtun people Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan... |
Previously warlord for the Hezbi Islami Gulbuddin, Peshawar group |
| Martyrs and Disabled Minister | Abdullah Wardak Abdullah Wardak Mohammad Jan Abdullah Wardak was an Afghan politician and former Mujahideen commander. He served as a government Minister and Governor of Logar Province.- Biography :... |
Pashtun Pashtun people Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan... |
Leader in the United National Front for the Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan The Islamic Dawah Organization of Afghanistan is a political party in Afghanistan led by Abdul Rasul Sayyaf. Founded in the early 1980s as the Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan , it was originally an attempt to bring unity amongst Islamist opposition forces in Afghanistan... |
| Higher Education Minister | Sharif Faez | Tajik | United Islamic Front |
| Civil Aviation & Tourism Minister | Abdul Rahman Abdul Rahman (Afghan minister) Abdul Rahman was the aviation and tourism minister of Afghanistan until February 14, 2002.He was murdered in what appeared to be a mob attack on his plane at Kabul International Airport by pilgrims angry that they had been unable to travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.Witnesses and officials said... |
Tajik | Member of United Islamic Front, but he threw his support tot former king Zahir Shah and became member of the Rome Group |
| Labor and Social Affairs | Mir Wais Saddiq | Tajik | Son of influential warlords Ismail Khan Ismail Khan Ismail Khan is a politician and former mujahideen commander from Afghanistan. Born in the western Afghan city of Herat, he rose to become a powerful rebel commander during in the Soviet War in Afghanistan, and then a key member of the Northern Alliance until finally becoming the Governor of Herat... , United Islamic Front |
| Transportation Minister | Sultan Hamid Sultan | Hazara | |
| Education Minister | Abdul Rassoul Amin | Member of the National Islamic Front National Islamic Front The National Islamic Front is the Islamist political organization founded and led by Dr. Hassan al-Turabi that has influenced the Sudanese government since 1979, and dominated it since 1989... and the Rome group. |
|
| Rural Development Minister | Abdul Malik Anwar Abdul Malik Anwar Abdul Malik Anwar is a Tajik who was a member of the United Islamic Front and as such one of the persons who was named minister by the Bonn Conference in December 2001... |
Tajik | United Islamic Front |
External links
Frontline report of Bonn ConferenceAfghanland profile of interim administration