SUMMARY
Junbish-i Milli-yi Islami, also known as Jombesh-i Melli and National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, was an armed group and political party that was formally established in 1992.
It was based in northern Afghanistan, particularly in the provinces of Jowzjan, Faryah and Sar-i Paul as well as Mazar-i Sharif and Balkh. Its militia roots for the communist and Soviet-backed Government of Afghanistan originated back in the eighties, when it guarded the infrastructure and natural gas resources near the northern Afghan border. However this relationship was upended in January 1992, when the northern-based militia groups allied to revolt against the government in response to the withdrawal of Soviet-sponsored support, which threatened their income. Suspected of padding the payroll with ghost recruits, the government indicated that it would reduce the number of salaries it paid for the militias. Then, the trigger for the revolt was when General Mumin, who was a key military contact that had diverted extra resources and intelligence to the militias, was ordered to vacate his post as Hairatan garrison commander where the weapons were stored. The allied militias revolted and successfully took control from the communist Government of Afghanistan in the north, after which they united as Junbish-i Milli-yi Islami under General Abdul Rashid Dostum.
The members of Junbish-i Milli-yi Islami were predominantly Uzbek, whilst a smaller proportion were Ismaili or Turkomans. By the summer of 1993, the group had also incorporated military personnel who had been previously stationed in the north of Afghanistan or had fled there, including some Pashtun officers. Junbish-i Milli-yi Islami had a broadly “Islamic” outlook with a diverse membership ranging from left-wing ideologues to Islamists and ethnic nationalists.
In 1992, Junbish-i Milli-yi Islami had over 40,000 troops; this quickly grew to an estimated 65 000 troops between 1993 and 1995 and was largely drawn from the former northern command of the Afghan army. However, Junbish-i Milli-yi Islami reported that in times of crisis, the number of troops available could increase to between 120 000 and 150 000.
The leader of Junbish-i Milli-yi Islami was General Abdul Rashid Dostum, who was an ethnic Uzbek from Jowzjan province. Previously, he had received training in the Soviet Union (now Russia) while working for an oil company but Dostum then he went on to join the Government of Afghanistan as part of the Ministry for State Security when the communist regime was in power. During this time, he served as commander for Unit 374 in Jowzjan; known as the Jowzjan “Dostum Militia”, this comprised of 20 000 regular and militia soldiers of, mostly Uzbek ethnicity.
In 1992 to 1993, Junbish-i Milli-yi Islami supported the mujahideen Government of Afghanistan. However, when its leader was not granted a cabinet position legitimizing his authority, Junbish-i Milli-yi Islami allied with Hizb-i Islami-yi Afghanistan and Hizb-i Wahdat against the government between 1994 and 1996. After the Taleban gained control of the Government of Afghanistan in 1996, Junbish-i Milli-yi Islami formed the UIFSA coalition (commonly known as the Northern Alliance) along with Jam'iyyat-i Islami-yi Afghanistan and Hizb-i Wahdat to fight against it (see Government of Afghanistan – UIFSA. This coalition lasted until 2001, when the Taleban regime fell from power and UIFSA fragmented. Following this, Junbish-i Milli-yi Islami became part of the US-led coalition backed Government of Afghanistan in 2002 and Dostum, who had remained outside of Afghanistan between 1998 and 2001, became Deputy Minister of Defence and Chief of Staff.
The Government of Iran supplied weapons and technical support to Junbish-i Milli-yi Islami. According to western sources, the Government of Iran also provided financial assistance to the group, along with the governments of Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan during 1993. In addition, the Government of Uzbekistan provided Junbish-i Milli-yi Islami with arms worth an estimated $180 million between 1994 and 1997, along with technical support. The Government of Pakistan also supplied arms.
