Ministry of Defense (Afghanistan)

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox government agency Template:Politics of Afghanistan The Ministry of Defense (Template:Langx, Template:Transliteration, Template:Langx, Template:Transliteration) is the cabinet ministry of Afghanistan responsible for overseeing the Afghan Armed Forces (currently referred to as the Islamic Emirate Armed Forces). The ministry is located in Kabul.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Democratic Republic period

File:Roundel of Afghanistan (1987–1992) – Army.svg

The Ministry of Defense emblem from 1987 to 1992

From the 30th of April until 9 August 1978, Abdul Qadir succeeded the slain Ghulam Haidar Rasuli as Defense Minister of the DRA, responsible for the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, until being succeeded by General Aslam Watanjar. In 1990 forces loyal to Minister of Defense Shahnawaz Tanai and Hezbi Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar attempted a fail coup against then President Najibullah. His forces were thwarted by General Aslam Watanjar who was rewarded the post of Minister of Defence. Watanjar would be the last Minister of Defense of the DRA/ROA.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Los Angeles Times">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The government collapsed in 1992.

Additionally, the Ministry of Defense also had their own annual publication titled “The Military Magazine” (Template:Langx, Template:Langx) which began in 1967, under the Kingdom of Afghanistan. This was continued under the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The Islamic Republic period

File:Old logo Ministry of Defense (Afghanistan) 2018.png

Former logo from 2018.

During the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004–2021), the defense minister was nominated by the President of Afghanistan and the National Assembly made the final approval.

One of the functions of the Defense Ministry during that period was the continuance of disarming insurgent groups, through programmes such as the Afghan New Beginnings Programme (which included the rehabilitation and reintegration of child soldiers). These militant groups coalesced from warlords and former army personnel after the collapse of the Najibullah government in 1992.<ref name=BhatiaSedra>Template:Cite book</ref>

List of ministers

Prior to 1929, Afghanistan had no ministers of defense but rather ministers of war.<ref name="afgwhoiswho" />

Ministers of War

• Mohammad Nadir, May 1919 to January 1922<ref name="afgwhoiswho" />
• Mohammad Hashim, January 1922 to September 1922<ref name="afgwhoiswho" />
• Mohammad Nadir, September 1922 to April 1924<ref name="afgwhoiswho" />
• Muhammad Wali, April 1924 to June 1924<ref name="afgwhoiswho" />
• Abdul Aziz Barakzai, June 1924 to January 1929<ref name="afgwhoiswho" />

Ministers of Defense

Template:Abbr	Portrait	Name Template:Small	Term of office			Political affiliation		Template:Abbr
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1	File:Picture of Sayyid Husayn.webp	Sayyid Husayn Template:Small	January 1929	March 1929	Template:Age in years and months	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Saqqawist
2	File:Picture of Purdil Khan.webp	Purdil Khan Template:Small	March 1929	October 1929	Template:Age in years and months	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Saqqawist
3	File:Sardar shahvali khan.png	Shah Mahmud Khan Template:Small	1929	1947	Template:Age in years years	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent	<ref name="afgwhoiswho">Template:Cite book</ref>
–		Amanul Mulk Template:SmallTemplate:Efn	Template:Circa	Template:Circa	Template:Age in years years		Unknown
4	File:Prime Minister Mohammad Daoud Khan.jpg	Mohammad Daoud Khan Template:Small	1947	1948	Template:Age in years years	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent	<ref name="afgwhoiswho" />
5		Gen. Muhammad Umar Template:Small	1948	1952	Template:Age in years years		Unknown	<ref name="afgwhoiswho" />
6		Mohammed Arif Template:Small	1952	1958	Template:Age in years years		Unknown	<ref name="afgwhoiswho" />
(4)	File:Prime Minister Mohammad Daoud Khan.jpg	Mohammad Daoud Khan Template:Small	1958	1963	Template:Age in years years	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent	<ref name="afgwhoiswho" />
7	File:Khan Mohammad KhanIMG 1279.jpg	Khan Mohammad Template:Small	1963	1973	Template:Age in years years		Unknown	<ref name="afgwhoiswho" />
(4)	File:Mohammad Daoud Khan official portrait.jpg	Mohammad Daoud Khan Template:Small	1973	1973	Template:Age in years years	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent	<ref name="afgwhoiswho" />
8	File:Abdul Karim MustaghniIMG 1235.jpg	Abdul Karim Mustaghni Template:Small	1973	1977	Template:Age in years years	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Republican Template:Small
9	File:Ghulam Haidar Rasuli portrait.jpg	Ghulam Haidar Rasuli Template:Small	7 November 1977	28 April 1978	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Republican
10		Abdul Qadir Template:Small	27 April 1978	17 August 1978	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PDPA–Parcham
11	File:Nur Muhammad Taraki.png	Nur Muhammad Taraki Template:Small	17 August 1978	1 April 1979	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PDPA–Khalq	<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
12	File:Mohammad WatanjarIMG 1285.jpg	Mohammad Aslam Watanjar Template:Small	1 April 1979	28 July 1979	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PDPA–Khalq
13	File:Hafizullah Amin.jpg	Hafizullah Amin Template:Small	28 July 1979	27 December 1979Template:Efn	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PDPA
14	File:Mohammad RafieIMG 5957.jpg	Mohammed Rafie Template:Small	28 December 1979	1982	Template:Age in years years	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PDPA
(10)		Abdul Qadir Template:Small	1982	September 1984	Template:Age in years years	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PDPA–Parcham
15		Nazar Mohammad Template:Small	4 December 1984	4 December 1986	Template:Age in years years	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PDPA–Khalq
(14)	File:Mohammad RafieIMG 5957.jpg	Mohammed Rafie Template:Small	December 1986	May 1988	Template:Age in years and months	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PDPA
16	File:Shahnawaz Tanai with 444th Commando 1972–73 (cropped).jpg	Shahnawaz Tanai Template:Small	May 1988	March 1990Template:Efn	Template:Age in years and months	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PDPA–Khalq
(12)	File:Mohammad WatanjarIMG 1285.jpg	Mohammad Aslam Watanjar Template:Small	March 1990	April 1992	Template:Age in years and months	style="background:Template:Party color" |	PDPA–Khalq
–	File:Ahmad Shah Masoud.jpg	Ahmad Shah Massoud Template:Small	28 April 1992	28 June 1992	Template:Ayd	rowspan=2 style="background:Template:Party color" |	Jamiat-e Islami
17			28 June 1992	9 September 2001	Template:Ayd
18		Obaidullah Akhund Template:Small	April 1997	9 September 2001	Template:Age in years and months	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Taliban
19	File:Mohammad Fahim in 2004 cropped.jpg	Mohammed Fahim Template:Small	9 September 2001	23 December 2004	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Jamiat-e Islami
20	File:Abdul Rahim Wardak, Dec. 17, 2011.jpg	Abdul Rahim Wardak Template:Small	23 December 2004	7 August 2012	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Mahaz-e-Milli-ye Islami
–	File:Defense.gov News Photo 120608-D-NI589-034 - First Deputy Minister of Defense for Afghanistan Enayatullah Nazari listens to the opening remarks by Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter as (cropped).jpg	Enayatullah Nazari Template:Small	8 August 2012	15 September 2012	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Jamiat-e Islami
21	File:Afghan Minister of Interior Bismillah Khan Mohammadi (120121-N-xx999-005) (cropped).jpg	Bismillah Khan Mohammadi Template:Small	15 September 2012	24 May 2015	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Jamiat-e Islami
–	File:Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai.jpg	Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai Template:Small	24 May 2015	20 June 2016	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent Template:Small
22	File:Abdullah Habibi.jpg	Abdullah Habibi Template:Small	20 June 2016	24 April 2017	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent Template:Small
23	File:Tariq Shah Bahrami (cropped).jpg	Tariq Shah Bahramee Template:Small	24 April 2017	23 December 2018	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent Template:Small
–	File:Asadullah Khalid in June 2011-cropped.jpg	Asadullah Khalid Template:Small	23 December 2018	21 November 2020	Template:Ayd	rowspan=2 style="background:Template:Party color" |	Ittehad-e Islami
24			21 November 2020	19 March 2021	Template:Ayd
–	File:Yasin Zia greeting troops (cropped).jpg	Yasin Zia Template:Small	19 March 2021	19 June 2021	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Independent Template:Small
(21)	File:Afghan Minister of Interior Bismillah Khan Mohammadi (120121-N-xx999-005) (cropped).jpg	Bismillah Khan Mohammadi Template:Small	19 June 2021	15 August 2021	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Jamiat-e Islami	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
–		Abdul Qayyum Zakir Template:Small	24 August 2021	7 September 2021	Template:Ayd	style="background:Template:Party color" |	Taliban	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
–	File:Mullah Yaqoob in January 2022.png	Mullah Yaqoob Template:Small	7 September 2021	15 August 2025	Template:Ayd	rowspan=2 style="background:Template:Party color" |	Taliban	<ref name="BBC_Taliban_Cabinet_2.0rc1">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
25			15 August 2025	Incumbent

External links

• Template:Official website
• Template:Twitter (Template:Langx)
• Official YouTube channel