Haji Mali Khan (Pashto: حاجي مالي خان) is an Afghan Taliban politician, and former military commander. Khan has served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces since 4 March 2022.[1] From 7 November 2021 to 14 March 2022, he served as governor of Logar Province.[2][3] Prior to his governmental service, he was considered one of the leaders of the Haqqani network, a "semi-autonomous" offshoot of the Taliban.[4]
Mali Khan was a senior Haqqani commander in Afghanistan,[9] in charge of troop movements and support between the North Waziristan District in Pakistan and the Loya Paktia (the Khost, Paktia, and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan).[10][11][12] In the 2009–2010, Mali Khan established bases for Haqqani fighters in the Mangal tribal areas of Paktia Province.[10] During this time he promoted the movement of Taliban forces from Pakistan to Afghanistan.[10] Among his duties was acting as an emissary between Baitullah Mehsud and the Haqqanis.[13] He was captured by ISAF forces on 27 September 2011, during a raid in Musakhel District, a Haqqani network stronghold in Khost Province.[8] He was released in a prisoner swap in November 2019.[14] Several mounths after his release he was reported back at work for the Haqqani network, in military coordination and logistics.[15]
^Brown, Vahid; Rassler, Don (2013). Fountainhead of Jihad: The Haqqani Nexus, 1973-2012. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 139. ISBN978-0-19-936537-1.
