SUMMARY

Politics in Afghanistan have often been characterized by violent power struggles between different leaders and groups. Although often labeled ethnic or tribal, the conflicts have been fought along more intricate patterns, often motivated by personal grudges, blood feud, regional power dynamics and/or the control of territory. The Islamist groups fighting the Soviet-backed Afghan government in the 1980s, commonly referred to as the Mujahideen, were often involved in bloody clashes against each other, although they also tried to cooperate and unite in alliances. When the Soviet forces left the country in 1989, violence escalated as the groups tried to get as much influence and resources for themselves as possible.

Since its formation in the mid-1980s, Shura-e Nazar (Supervisory Council) functioned as a unit within Jam’iyyat-i Islami-yi Afghanistan (Islamic Society of Afghanistan). The leader of Shura-e Nazar, Ahmad Shah Massoud, was one of the most prominent commanders of the Afghan resistance movement that fought against the Soviet forces and its allies within the Afghan government during the 1980s, and he controlled the larger part of the forces connected to Jam’iyyat-i Islami. For most of the time Massoud and his forces cooperated with the Jam’iyyat-i Islami commanders that were not part of Shura-e Nazar. However, in 1995, when Jam’iyyat-i Islami leader Burhanuddin Rabbani was the President of Afghanistan and Massoud was the country’s Defence Minister, tensions between their forces caused fighting in Konduz province. After three days of fighting at least 25 people had died. After the fighting, Shura-e Nazar continued to be a part of Jam’iyyat-i Islami-yi Afghanistan.

The non-state conflict between Jam’iyyat-i Islami-yi Afghanistan and Shura-e Nazar is first included in UCDP data in 1995. In December of that year at least 25 people were killed when the parties clashed in Konduz province in the northern parts of Afghanistan.