In a series of articles published in 12 parts under the title “The Dark Face of a Commander; The Hidden Record of Ismail Khan” by the Voice of Hindukush Administration, we made every effort to document a glimpse of the hidden life of Ismail Khan, the notorious and corrupt warlord of Herat.
But that’s not the whole story, as the hidden and untold aspects of the lives of people like Ismail Khan are darker than can be captured and recounted in a short series.
The twenty-year occupation of Afghanistan, just as it provided the grounds for the rise to power, oppression, corruption, and plunder by individuals like Ismail Khan, also created a suitable environment for the concealment of their crimes, betrayals, and disastrous actions.
In such a way that under the shadow of comprehensive foreign support, the weakness of judicial and legal institutions, and an environment filled with censorship and false propaganda, many of these figures’ crimes remained hidden from public view, and the opportunity for accountability and response was never provided to them.
During the fallen republic, a person like Ismail Khan, with his unlimited power and influence, was able to cover up many of his crimes, silence his critics, and hide his inner corruption behind a facade of decorum.
During this time, how many people he killed, what injustices and tortures he inflicted on the oppressed in his private prisons, how he forcefully seized public lands, government properties, and the possessions of the suffering people, how he eliminated his political rivals one by one—either with bullets, or with imprisonment, or with mysterious disappearances; murders that were not for the security of the people, but to silence opposing voices and consolidate his power.
Since I am from Herat myself and grew up in this city, I clearly remember that whether during his time as a minister or when he was in the governor’s seat of Herat, due to his utter incompetence and lack of activity in serving the Herat community, his name was not mentioned in the media for months and even years.
But as the anniversary of 24th of Hoot approached, the fame of Ismail Khan’s jihad against the Soviet Union spread within the city of Herat and its districts, and tales far from the truth about his bravery and victories became widespread; while many of these tales were fabricated by his supporters and did not align with historical realities.
Yes! The arrival of 24 Hoot was a opportunity for this warlord, a notorious figure who, in addition to exploiting the name of jihad and the struggle against the Soviet occupiers, even took advantage of the graves of the unknown martyrs of Herat—those who sacrificed their lives to defend the oppressed and shatter the idol of communism in Afghanistan—for his own display of power and personal propaganda. He held extravagant ceremonies beside the martyrs’ shrines, trying to present himself as the sole heir and hero of the jihad, while many of those martyrs had no knowledge of him during their lifetimes.
With the collapse of the Republic regime and the diminishing shadow of the warlords from this land, voices recounting the oppression and crimes of these individuals are now heard from every corner of this soil; horrific crimes that were completely silenced for twenty years, and no media dared to reflect them.
Now, the veil is being lifted on secrets that had been buried for years under the boots of power, money, and force. The victims of that era, the grieving families, and the silent witnesses are gradually beginning to speak out and reveal the true faces of those who once presented themselves as heroes of the struggle and servants of the nation.
A truth that, although delayed, has finally found its way and has further revealed the blood-stained and corrupt faces of warlords like Ismail Khan to the suffering people of this land.
Therefore, it cannot be said that this section is the final part of this series, as every day a new story of the tyranny and crimes of the warlord of Herat comes to light; bitter narratives that will be penned in the not-so-distant future by another person who has come to know the true face of Ismail Khan and will, more than ever, remove the mask of deception from his face, Allah willing.
Note: The articles, essays, and comments published by the Voice of Hindukush only reflect the views of the authors & writers and do not necessarily represent the agreement of the Voice of Hindukush.
