| Colonel (R) Amir Sultan Tarar | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Colonel Imam |
| Place of birth | chakwal District , Pakistan |
| Allegiance |  Pakistan |
| Service/branch |  Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1974 – 1994 |
| Rank | Brigadier |
| Unit | FF Regiment Special Service Group |
| Commands held | Additional Director-General Military Intelligence (ADGMI) 14th Infantry Brigade7th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars | Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 Soviet war in Afghanistan Civil war in Afghanistan (1989-1992) Civil war in Afghanistan (1992-1996) Civil war in Afghanistan (1996–2001) |
| Awards | Sitara-e-Jurat Tamgha-e-Basalat Sitara-e-Imtiaz(Military) |
Brigadier Amir Sultan Tarar or best known as Colonel Imam is a vetern Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence officer and former Pakistani Consul General at Herat.[1] He is widely believed to have played a key role in the formation of the Taliban. It is reported that he served at the ISI's Afghan bureau desk as a Brigadier.
Colonel Imam, who is a commando-Guerrilla warfare specialist, is widely believed to trained Mullah Omar and other Talibans factions in Guerrilla warfare. Colonel Imam remained active in Afghanistan's civil war until 2001 U. S. led War on Terrorism
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Education and Military Career
He is a graduate of Pakistan Military Academy , Kakul ; and Fort Bragg, North Carolina, USA. A controversial figure, it is alleged that he still independently supports the Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan.[2]
Mullah Omar and Pro-Taliban Views
He is also purported to have trained Mullah Mohammed Omar,the erstwhile commander of the Taliban.
“The Afghan is a very cunning soldier,” he added. “He picks things up very quickly and never forgets. As a Pakistani company or battalion commander I’d be training my men for six months and maybe they would remember 70%. But in Afghanistan teenagers came, had only three days’ weapon training and they remembered 100%. In just 15 days they mastered the Stinger (the FIM-92 Stinger surface-to-air missile).” Omar (Mullah Omar) passed through his camps in 1985. “He was a simple man, a small commander leading a maximum of 40 people and didn’t have much weaponry,” Imam recalled.[3]
Afghan Civil Wars and Support for Talibans
He remained involved in Afghanistan issues since working with the CIA-ISI backed Afghan Mujahidin in the 1980s. From 1996 onwards it is believed that he served as the Pakistan government liaison with the Taliban leadership, serving as a conduit for arms and using money and persuasion to convince commanders to join the movement.[4]
Relationships with United States
After the Soviet defeat and the collapse of communism, "Colonel Imam", whose real name is Amir Sultan Tarar, was invited to the White House by the then President George Bush Sr, and was given a piece of the Berlin Wall with a brass plaque inscribed: "To the one who dealt the first blow." Today, western intelligence agencies believe Imam is among a group of renegade officers from Pakistan's ISI who continued to help the Taliban after Pakistan turned against them following the attacks of September 11, 2001.[5]
As a former agent of the ISI, little is known of Amir Sultan Tarar's true history or operational profile. Most information about 'Colonel Imam' is generated by his own admission, as well as news media speculation. Pakistan's secrecy over internal and external security, plus the code of conduct of Pakistan Armed Forces personnel serving in sensitive institutions, prevents such details from being available or verifiable.
See also
References
- ^ Matinuddin, Kamal(1999) The Taliban Phenomenon: Afghanistan 1994-1997 p 63. Oxford University Press US, ISBN 0195792742, 9780195792744
- ^ Mission: Difficult By Rory Callinan/Tarin Kowt Thursday, January 24, 2008. TIME magazine
- ^ http://www.khyberwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7045
- ^ Hussain, Zahid (2007)Frontline Pakistan: The Struggle with Militant Islam. p 29-30. Published by I.B.Tauris, ISBN 1845112660
- ^ http://ia.rediff.com/news/interview/2009/jun/07/taliban-will-never-be-defeated-isi-agent.htm
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