Overview

Mawlawi Zubair Mutmaeen is a Taliban official who formerly ran Taliban backed suicide-bombing squads in Kabul. Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, Mutmaeen was appointed as police chief of Kabul’s 9th police district.Saeed Shah, “Taliban Commander Who Launched Bombings in Kabul Is Now a Police Chief in Charge of Security,” Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/taliban-commander-who-launched-bombings-in-kabul-is-now-a-police-chief-in-charge-of-security-11634740097.

Originally from Logar, south of Kabul, Mutmaeen joined the Taliban’s most militant subset—the U.S. designated Haqqani network—in 1999. At some point during the Taliban’s first reign from the 1990s until 2001, Mutmaeen then lived under cover in Kabul, where he would gather intelligence, identify targets, and order suicide bombings for the Taliban. Among some of the most notorious assaults that Mutmaeen ordered were on the presidential palace, a CIA office, and the Kabul Serena Hotel.Saeed Shah, “Taliban Commander Who Launched Bombings in Kabul Is Now a Police Chief in Charge of Security,” Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/taliban-commander-who-launched-bombings-in-kabul-is-now-a-police-chief-in-charge-of-security-11634740097.

Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, U.S. and NATO forces went into Afghanistan, putting an end to the Taliban’s first reign. For the next two decades, the Taliban launched an offensive against the Afghan government and the western forces, seeking to reassert their authority throughout the country.“Who are the Taliban,” BBC News, August 18, 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11451718.

The Taliban began its offensive against major Afghan cities on August 6, 2021.Susannah George and Ezzatullah Mehrdad, “Taliban fighters overrun an Afghan provincial capital for the first time since withdrawal of foreign forces,” Washington Post, August 6, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/06/afghanistan-taliban-nimruz/. On August 15, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled Afghanistan and thousands of Afghans poured into Kabul’s airport as Taliban fighters entered the city. By August 16, the Taliban laid siege to the presidential palace and took complete control of Kabul, declaring the war in Afghanistan had ended.“Taliban declares ‘war is over’ as president and diplomats flee Kabul,” Reuters, August 15, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/talibans-rapid-advance-across-afghanistan-2021-08-10/. Sometime following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, Mutmaeen was appointed police chief of Kabul’s 9th police district.Saeed Shah, “Taliban Commander Who Launched Bombings in Kabul Is Now a Police Chief in Charge of Security,” Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/taliban-commander-who-launched-bombings-in-kabul-is-now-a-police-chief-in-charge-of-security-11634740097.

Mutmaeen’s command, who are former Taliban members turned cops, are not paid and allegedly have not received training in police work. According to media sources, it is unclear which laws are enforced by Mutmaeen’s command other than their interpretations of sharia law, which covers criminal and civil cases as well as moral conduct. However, given that the police force of the deposed Afghan government was known for being notoriously corrupt, on-the-ground reports have suggested that Afghans are slowly accepting and even soliciting the help of the Taliban’s new police. Mutmaeen reportedly now meets with Kabul residents and addresses concerns regarding debtors, stolen items, and employment opportunities.Saeed Shah, “Taliban Commander Who Launched Bombings in Kabul Is Now a Police Chief in Charge of Security,” Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/taliban-commander-who-launched-bombings-in-kabul-is-now-a-police-chief-in-charge-of-security-11634740097.