Colonel Imam
Colonel Imam | |
|---|---|
کرنل امام | |
Amir Sultan Tarar in c. 2009 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Amir Sultan Tarar 4 April 1944 |
| Died | 23 January 2011 (aged 66) |
| Awards | Sitara-e-Jurat |
| Nickname | Colonel Imam |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Pakistan |
| Branch/service | Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1966–1994 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Unit | 14/13 Frontier Force Regiment |
| Commands | CO Parachute Training School |
| Battles/wars | |
Amir Sultan Tarar (4 April 1944 – 23 January 2011), commonly known by the nom de guerre Colonel Imam, was a Pakistani military officer. A key special ops specialist in the Pakistan Army, he is widely regarded as "father of the Taliban".
A Pakistan Army officer, he was a member of the Special Service Group (SSG), Pakistan's army special forces, and was an intelligence officer in the ISI. A veteran of the Soviet–Afghan War, he is widely believed to have played a key role in the formation of the Taliban, after having helped train the Afghan mujahideen. He served as the Consul-General of Pakistan in Herat, Afghanistan.
"Colonel Imam," as Tarar was also known, was a commando-guerrilla warfare specialist, trained Mullah Omar and other Taliban factions and leaders. Colonel Imam remained active in Afghanistan's civil war until the 2001 United States led War on Terrorism, and supported the Taliban publicly through media.
Tarar was kidnapped along with fellow ISI officer Khalid Khawaja and British journalist Asad Qureshi and Qureshi's driver Rustam Khan on 26 March 2010. Khawaja was killed a month later. Qureshi and Khan were released in September 2010. Imam was killed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in January 2011.