Mullah Borjan

Mullah Borjan (Pashto/; 1958 – 27 September 1996), also known as Mullah Aminullah, was an Afghan Taliban militant commander. He was considered to be an influential militant leader in Kandahar Province.

Early life and education Born in Talkan in 1958, Borjan hailed from a family with a religious background. His father was Haji Mullah Muhammad Sadiq, while his grandfather was Mullah Muhammad Musa Jan. Borjan finished his primary and secondary education in local schools and mosques.

Military career Soviet-Afghan War At the age of 25, Borjan dropped out of school and joined the mujahideen group led by Mullah Haji Muhammad Akhund in Panjwayi. The group was affiliated with Mohammad Yunus Khalis. He waged guerilla wars against the Soviet and Afghan forces both daytime and night. Furthermore, he planned and commanded Mujahideen's attack on the Soviet military center in Kandahar, which caused casualties to Soviet soldiers.

Taliban Borjan joined the Taliban in 1994. At first, he was assigned as Kandahar police chief and later became the group's commander-in-chief. As a group commander, he preferred to conduct military operations before night to prevent collateral damage and called for war continuation until the central government collapsed.

Death He died on 27 September 1996. There are three versions of Borjan's death. According to the Taliban, Borjan was killed by Rabbani's tank shelling. Meanwhile, according to Bette Dam, Borjan was shot by a sniper on the road heading to Jalalabad and his death upset Mullah Omar, making him abstain from eating for three days. A US source stated that Rabbani was the person behind the assassination of Borjan since Rabbani disagreed with Borjan's proposal to bring Mohammad Najibullah to trial. Previously, Borjan said to Pakistani journalists that ISI asked him to immediately execute Najibullah when the Taliban captured Kabul. According to Carlotta Gall, Borjan was killed by his bodyguard. Later, Borjan was buried in Kandahar Province.

Legacy The locals venerated Borjan's grave because of his strength. Many pilgrims visited his grave to do Ziyarat, hoping for a blessing.