Mawlawi Abdul Rahman Saidkhili, the police chief of Kunduz province, was regarded as one of the most prominent anti-Taliban figures in northern Afghanistan.
He was born in 1968 in Kohna Qala village of Sayedkhel district, Parwan province, and joined the jihad against Soviet forces at a young age.
He later entered the battlefronts in Parwan and northern Afghanistan, where he quickly emerged as a young, brave, and popular commander within Jamiat-e Islami Afghanistan.
During the first Taliban regime, Saidkhili was one of the main pillars of resistance in the Northern Alliance. He was a close and loyal associate of Ahmad Shah Massoud and took part in numerous operations against the Taliban, playing a key role in defending northern مناطق.
After the سقوط طالبان and the establishment of the new government, he was first appointed commander of the 7th Battalion of the Desant Brigade (a special unit linked to Ahmad Shah Massoud), then served as police chief of Parwan, followed by Baghlan, and was eventually appointed as police chief of Kunduz province.
His appointment marked a major turning point.
Security in the northeast of the country—especially in Kunduz, which had been a key Taliban stronghold—improved significantly. Local residents said, “With the arrival of Mawlawi Saidkhili, Kunduz was cleared of Taliban fighters and terrorists,” and the region became nearly 100 percent secure.
Through his courage, strategic leadership, and strong public support, he pushed back the Taliban and other terrorist networks, becoming a firm barrier against their return.
Sources close to Commander Saidkhili told IntelMedium that the Taliban had warned him before the assassination to stop his operations and clearance efforts, but he refused to comply.
The role of a “fifth column” in facilitating the suicide attack was highly significant. The attacker, wearing a military uniform, used precise intelligence about Saidkhili’s movements. The main planners of the assassination—including local leaders of Taliban-affiliated groups such as Mullah Shamsuddin of Jundullah—were later killed in airstrikes.
The assassination of Commander Saidkhili was part of a broader strategy by the Taliban and terrorist networks to eliminate key resistance figures and weaken northern security forces, paving the way for their return to power.