SUMMARY
The Forces of Ismail Khan is an organised militia loyal to the Afghan warlord of the same name. The militia has been employed in battle with other non-state groups to support the political goals of Ismail Khan in post-Taliban Afghanistan. A well-known strongman in Afghanistan’s west he has been nicknamed the “Lion of Herat”.
Ismail Khan is an Afghani warlord/politician from the Tajik ethnic group, who has on two occasions occupied the seat of governor of Herat, a province in western Afghanistan. After being an officer in the Afghan army and defecting to the mujahideen side, he became governor of Herat for the first time after the Soviet Union was expelled from Afghanistan, only to be ousted from this position by the Taliban in 1995. After a time as a Taliban prisoner he joined the Northern Alliance, together with other prominent warlords such as Dostum, and took part in the US-supported military action that removed the Taliban from power in 2001. As the Taliban were ousted forces loyal to Ismail Khan took control of Herat province, and he was later installed as military commander of Afghanistan’s western forces as well as governor of Herat. Like prominent warlord Ustad Mohammed Atta, also a Tajik, he has been a member of the Jamiat-e-Islami political party, which has a strong following among the Tajik population of Afghanistan. The vast bulk of fighters loyal to Ismail Khan are of the Tajik ethnic group.
During his time as governor Ismail Khan ran Herat province much like his own fiefdom, with little regard for the policies and wishes of the central government in Kabul under Karzai. He boasted a relatively powerful militia (at its peak numbering perhaps as many as 25,000 fighters), many of which have however been disarmed after 2004. These forces are known to have been well equipped.
Herat province borders Iran and Ismail Khan has allegedly earned a substantial fortune through controlling and taxing the border trade with this neighbouring country. His important economic ties with Iran have also spurred allegations that the Iranian government has given him substantial political and material support. No firm evidence of this is however available.
His predominance in the province has led other powerful warlords and politicians to challenge his position, sometimes violently, drawing him into non-state conflict over the control of Herat. As a consequence of the central government’s attempts to consolidate power over Afghanistan Ismail Khan lost his positions as commander of the western forces and governor of Herat in 2003 and 2004 respectively, weakening his position as a warlord. After losing his positions Ismail Khan received a job within the Kabul administration.
The Forces of Ismail Khan have been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.
