Commander Kaftar, or Bibi Aisha Habibi has fascinated me for a long time. However, finding information about her is hit or miss. There are a few really good sources on the woman, which I'll link to throughout the post. Regardless, the woman has lived a storied life, and I figured I'd sit down and write a bit about her.
Ready? Here we go.
Bibi Aisha Habibi
Bibi Aisha Habibi was born as one of ten children to her father, Haji Dawlat, in a far-flung province of Afghanistan where most people make their living off of farming. Haji Dawlat was a community leader, or someone who was highly placed in local society and could settle disputes. Bibi Aisha Habibi was his favorite child, and so she was allowed to come with him when he had meetings, and did his dispute-settling, learning at his side as she watched him do what was required of a man who held his office.
At twelve, she was engaged, and while this would normally be the time most girls would be segregated from men, and learn their female roles inside, and away from men, Haji Dawlat let his daughter continue coming to meetings with him, and observe how he did business. The man she was to marry, Shad Muhammad, was ten years older than her, and was aware of the fact that he was not marrying a normal woman. He understood that his wife was different, and he was okay with that. In fact, I saw in one source that his reputation suffered because he allowed her to wear pants.
They first saw each other at a family gathering to celebrate their engagement after three months, and didn't marry for three years. Shad Muhammad accepted her role as a community leader, the position which her father had trained her in. Together, the couple had seven children. When war came to the area, her husband stayed home to take care of the children while Commander Kaftar went to battle. She also acted as her father's apprentice and travelled to nearby villages to settle disputes in her father's name. (He later died from an illness.)
One story from this Al Jazeera article that I particularly like is as follows:
Mohammed Zaher Ghanizada grew up a short distance from Kaftar and became friends with her family. He recalls a story about Kaftar as a teenage girl crossing a small stream. A man sat on the shore watching her and shouted lewd, suggestion remarks at her. Once she'd crossed over to his side, she responded by pummeling the man. As Ghanizada tells the story, before leaving the catcalled to lick his wounds, Kaftar said, "You wanted to lay me on the ground, and now I've laid you on the ground."
The Rise of Commander Pigeon
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| Screenshot of Commander Kaftar's hometown grabbed from Google Maps |
(Note: I've also seen this translated as "Commander Dove". I'm hitting about 50/50 here, so I went with "pigeon" mostly because I felt like it.)
In 1979, the Soviet's entered Afghanistan. The details of the invasion weren't known, but Kaftar heard that someone had invaded, and they were slaughtering Afghans, and that was all she needed to know. Soon, the Soviets came close to her village, and without knowing if they would proceed in their direction, the villagers began preparing what weapons they had, cleaning guns, grabbing shovels, repairing tools.
The fighting came closer, and instead of running away from the gunfire, Kaftar grabbed a gun and a belt of bullets and ran toward the fighting. Due to the fact she was already seen as an elder in the area from her time with her father, she naturally fell into a leadership role during the battle. Somehow, the villagers managed to push the Soviets back to their original positions, at the loss of several dozen Afghan lives.
This battle, however, seems to be a definitive point in Kaftar's life. While the Soviets never came that close to her village again, Kaftar kept an active role in the fortification of her village from that point forward, making sure they had bunkers, weapons, and provisions they needed. She even helped organize a 200-300 man militia in the area (I saw an article where she bragged she had 2,000 men under her command during this period but I never saw that mentioned again and I think 200-300 is a more believable number, personally.). Eventually, they allied with Ahmad Shah Massoud, a known fighter in the area.
As soon as the Soviets left in 1989, Afghanistan erupted into civil war. Without a common enemy to face, the mujahideen fighters started fighting each other. The country was tearing itself apart. In 1996, after much infighting, the Taliban appeared to be the dominant force, taking control of over 90% of the country. Kaftar's valley, however, was one place they could not reach. While the area wasn't a hot spot during the Soviet invasion, it became one during the Taliban expansion.
If the Soviet invasion had taught Kaftar how to fight, it was the Taliban expansion that put her on the radar as a force to be reckoned with. Here is where she became a commanding force, organizing the militia, fighting in battles, commanding moves and operations. She became one of the most notorious Northern Alliance fighters, and often had to stay in hiding due to frequent assassination attempts.
Soon, she discovered some of her own family had defected to the Taliban, and were giving them information about where she was for assassination.
So, why is she known as Commander Kaftar, or Commander Pigeon? According to
this article, it's because she kills with the grace of a bird.
Commander Pigeon, post 9/11
The post 9/11 world brought another wave of strife to Afghanistan. In a country largely ruled by the Taliban, and then broken up further still by warlords, many people were hoping for peace and yet got none. Soon, another wave of violence swept the country. Allied with the Northern Alliance, Commander Kaftar kept on fighting against the Taliban and other insurgences.
She became known as a harsh, fearsome commander who has attained enemies and a reputation for violence in the area. In 2006, the UN Disbandment of Illegally Armed Groups started disbanding some 2,000 illegally armed militias in Afghanistan, Commander Kaftar's being one of them. According to
this BBC article, most warlords were reluctant to give up their weapons, partly because with such a history of violence, I'm sure having weapons around was a bit of a comfort. Also, because after a few decades of fighting, these militia groups have formed long-running alliances and enemies and unsettled feuds could break out with violence at any moment.
In 2011, Kaftar was involved in peace talks with the government. She released a few hostages she'd held, including a child, and was discussing plans to disarm her and her militia group. "According to reports, Commander Kaftar had joined peace process and stopped illegal armed operations following peace negotiations two years back, but resumed illegal militant activities in Nahrin district recently." (
this article)
(I also should note, I saw
one report of an allegation where she and two other warlords in the area had united forces to control drug routes through the area. I only saw this mentioned once, though, and no matter how much digging I did, I couldn't find more information.)
While Commander Kaftar said she had somewhere around 150 people under her, the UN found enough arms and evidence to support about 50 men.
In 2015, with a police escort, Kaftar negotiated with the Afghan government to become an official member of the security forces, with her in command. Though she was never formally recognized by the government, she did end up receiving funding. Kaftar has stated numerous times that she stands for justice and rights for women.
In fact,
in one article I read, the reporter had this interaction with one of the commanders who was escorting him to Kaftar's house:
On the way, I asked the commander what he thought about the Pigeon. He said the locals went to her for help solving their personal problems. Most recently, a husband and wife came to her. The husband's wife beat her. Commander Pigeon took a stick and beat the husband until he bled.
Around this time, when the US started really discussing pulling troop from the region, Commander Kaftar said she thought that when the United States left the region, the Taliban would take over again, and there would be very little standing in their way.
Today
When facing the reality of a Taliban takeover, Kaftar told
a reporter for Al Jazeera the following: "Kaftar would like to apply for asylum somewhere outside of Afghanistan, but does not know how. She also says any nation willing to provide a safe haven would need to offer passage to 30 or 40 of her family members as well. She could flee to neighboring Pakistan or Iran, but she's concerned that neither country would be safer than Afghanistan."
Recently, her premonition regarding the Taliban has come true, and in October 2020, stories began surfacing that Kaftar had surrounded to the Taliban, while one of her sons downplays the reality of that statement, saying that it's less her surrendering, and more a truce between parties.
In 2020, the Taliban pushed into Commander Kaftar's area, taking over her hometown and killing some of her men. With no government support imminent, the writing appeared to be on the wall. After 30+ years of fighting, Commander Kaftar surrendered to the Taliban.
In her storied life, Kaftar fought against just about everyone. The Soviets, the Taliban, Karzai's government and plenty of people on a local level. She's been known as a force in the area, and an interesting blip on the international radar. A woman in a patriarchal society, who has led men into battle (though always with a male relative at her side).
Currently the Taliban is back in control of Afghanistan, a reality that has been encroaching for a few years now.
While Commander Kaftar might have been the only female warlord in Afghanistan, the recent Taliban takeover has moved women from their houses, onto the streets with weapons in a show of defiance. Kaftar might be the most well-known female fighter in Afghanistan,
but she is far from the only one.
What future lays in store for the 70+ year old warlord? Only time will tell.
Further Reading
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