A Post-Mortem Analysis of Afghanistan’s Second Most Powerful Uzbek Warlord Ahmed Khan “Samangani”

Ahmed Khan “Samangani” (Source: Afghan Parliament Press Office)

On July 14, a key Uzbek power broker in the plains of northern Afghanistan, Ahmed Khan Samangani, was killed by a suicide bomber who embraced him while accepting guests at his daughter’s wedding in the town of Aibek, capital of the strategic province of Samangan. In addition to Khan, 22 others were also killed in the explosion, among them many important regional figures including Muhammad Khan, the provincial head of the National Directorate of Security, Saeed Ahmed Sameh, the police commander for western Afghanistan, and Muhammadullah the head of training for the Afghan National Army in Balkh Province. An MP from the neighboring province of Balkh, Eshaq Rahgozar, was also wounded in the attack, as was the former Sar-e Pul Province governor, Sayed Iqbal Munib. Balkh’s governor, Ustad (Teacher) Atta Muhammad Nur, was apparently on the way to the wedding, but arrived late and was thus spared.