Mohammad Panah

Mohammad Panah
Personal details
Born	11 Jan 1957 Safidchehr Village, Panjsher Province
Died	15 Mar 1995 Paghman Valley, Kabul Province
Nationality	Islamic State of Afghanistan
Political party	Jamiat-E-Islami Afghanistan
Occupation	Military commander
Ethnicity	Tajik
Religion	Sunni Islam
Military service
Years of service	25
Rank	Lieutenant General
Battles/wars	Afghan Civil War (1992–1996) Soviet–Afghan War

General Mohammad Panah was a Tajik Afghanistan military commander who was loyal to Ahmad Shah Massoud. Panah gained popularity after successfully fighting in Soviet incursions in the Panjsher Valley and northern areas of Afghanistan. Following the withdrawal of USSR forces from Afghanistan and the subsequent collapse of the communist regime in Kabul, Panah was a commander alongside Mohammad Fahim in the northern Kabul fronts; he fought the Hezb-e-islami, Hekmatyar, and the Taliban afterwards. He was killed in Paghman District during a Taliban offensive in Kabul.

Studies

Mohammad Panah studied religious sciences in Sefid Chehar School, with the religious scholars of that country, and in 1357, by the communist regime, he was forcibly recruited to askari and sent to Herat Province. But Mohammad Panah, from the very first days, understanding the situation with a fighting spirit, was prepared against the puppet rule and joined the ranks of the first Jihadist organization of the Panjshir Valley and, under the leadership of the country's national hero, Martyr Ahmad Shah Massoud, engaged in military activities against the then communist regime. With a spirit of self-sacrifice, in a short period of time, Mohammad Panah showed his talent and military skills and, in the ranks of dozens of Mujahideen in the way of God, captured bases and conquered large military centers of the Russian aggressor army in Panjshir, Salang Ha, Takhar, Baghlan, Parwan, and Kapisa.

Timeline

In 1359, he was appointed as the commander of mobile groups and played a prominent and decisive role in repelling two large and powerful invasions of the Red Army in the Panjshir Valley.

At the height of the Red Army's bloody attacks on the Panjshir Valley, Mohammad Panah commanded the Chamalwarde camp, which was one of the most important bases of the Mujahideen in the war against the invaders. He was responsible for inflicting crushing blows on the body of the aggressor enemy with his stoners.

In 1361, Mohammad Panah was appointed as the general commander of Salangs by the leadership of the front and, during the three years of his command, he planned and carried out several operations and confrontational attacks against the invading Soviet forces. With the forces under his command, he destroyed hundreds of vehicles, enemy armor, and weapons, captured hundreds of weapons of the aggressors, and took dozens of Soviet officers and soldiers prisoner.

The saga of Mohammad Panah's accomplishments in the Salang Valley became popular among the Afghan people and became a sign of the bravery of the Mujahideen across the country. Even the Soviet Red Army called him General Panah and the Salang Valley the Valley of Death. The heavy blows of General Panah and the forces under his command on the soldiers of the Red Army and the communist puppet government at the time caused the communist puppet regime to sentence Panah to death in absentia in the so-called special and revolutionary court. This represented the disgrace and inertia of the leaders of the communist regime at the time, and it made Panah more popular among the Mujahideen and the Muslim people of Afghanistan.

General Mohammad Panah was victorious in various wars against the world's largest military machine; he was known as a talented and innovative commander.

In 1364, General Mohammad Panah went to Baghlan Province for planning and carrying out attacks on the aggressor and puppet forces of the Soviet Union. He established his command centre in the mountainous areas of Nahrin and, for a year in that province, he was busy directing and managing the Mujahideen forces.

General Panah played a prominent and decisive role in the conquests of the Farkhar Garrison, the Kalfgan Garrison, the Nahrin Sect, the conquest of Taloqan, the capital of Takhar Province, and several other guerrilla operations in the northern parts of the country.

After the expulsion of the Red Army from the country and the expansion of the areas under the control of the Mujahideen, General Panah was appointed as the commander of the first unit of the central formation of the Islamic State of Afghanistan. In the conquest of the remaining areas of Takhar Province, he was in charge of the command of several wars that led to the conquest of Khawaja Ghar Province of Takhar, Khan Abad, and Dasht Archi districts of Kunduz Province.

Panah played a key and decisive role in the victory of the Islamic Revolution and the conquest of Kabul. After capturing the main centres of the regime in Jabal Siraj, Charikar, and Bagram, he entered Kabul as the first commander of the conquering Jihadi forces and strengthened the foundations of the Islamic State of Afghanistan. He played an important role.

During his three years of work in the Islamic State of Afghanistan, Panah was in charge of part of the defense battles against the defenseless people in the fronts of the provinces of Kapisa, Parwan, Bamyan, Baghlan, and Kabul. He acted as a solid and serious commander. He made a unique resistance and stand against the aggressors and terrorists. Panah never got tired of fighting for what was right and always fought honestly and according to the Shariah of the Prophet Muhammad.

Death

He was killed in the battle against the Taliban in the 'Battle of the Night' on the 24th of 1373 (March 15, 1995) , along with two of his comrades, Dr. Mohammad Amin and Mohammad Irfan In Paghman. Panah was known to live a modest life and is still a well known and respected Tajik Mujahideen Commander.

Battles

Battle of Panjshir (1980s): Commander Mohammad Panah participated in multiple engagements in the Panjshir Valley, a stronghold for the Northern Alliance and key resistance area against Soviet forces

Battle of Jangalak (1989): This battle was part of the conflict between the Northern Alliance and various other Afghan factions, where Panah played a significant role in defending against enemy advances.

Battle of Kabul (1992-1996): Following the withdrawal of Soviet troops, Panah was involved in the power struggle that engulfed Kabul, fighting against rival factions for control of the city, eventually dying in combat to the Taliban in 1995.

See also

• Ahmad Shah Massoud
• Qasim Fahim
• Ahmad Massoud
• Hasib Qoway Markaz
• Burhanuddin Rabbani