He paid with his life for not accepting the Taliban offer.

The governor of Saidabad refuses an attractive sum of money in exchange for handing over the region without resistance

• Taliban fighters seize more areas.

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• King Zai landing from a military plane.

  From the source

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The Taliban killed the governor of Saidabad region, Amer Muhammad Malikzai, after he refused to hand them over his region without resistance for $500,000. They lured him and shot him in the head in front of two of his sons.

His 18-year-old daughter used white stones to write the phrase "God is great" on his grave, while she wore a black dress and continued reading verses from the Holy Quran on the grave.

These same phrases have been used by the Taliban for years as they battled the US forces and the Western-backed government in Kabul, but last week the phrases became a resounding cry from Afghans against the Taliban movement sweeping the country as foreign forces withdraw.

Malak Zai, a well-respected local leader popular with his people, says his family members said he refused repeated Taliban offers when they lured him $500,000 in recent months to hand over Saidabad district in Wardak district, southwest of Kabul. Daily death threats.

threats

These threats were so intense that last month this ruler taught his wife and two of his daughters how to use firearms, instructing them to fight "to the last drop" of their blood if the Taliban attacked them.

On the one hand, the killing of Malakzai is an example of the Taliban's ruthless tactics resulting in an angry determination on the part of the people to take revenge on the movement, indicating that the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan would not be welcomed by the blood-stained population.

With the "Taliban" achieving more gains on the Afghan map, the death of this man represents a case of defiance and standing on the principle.

“My father taught me lessons in courage, heroism and patriotism, and I want to follow his path so that I can fulfill all his aspirations,” says Malakzai's eldest son, an engineering graduate, who asked not to be named for his safety.

He added, "He is the martyr of the nation, he died in the cause of God, and I am proud of his martyrdom."

stunt and ambush

King Zai's second son, and a younger one, was with their father on their way to a wedding in Kabul, a man who claimed to be a resident of Saidabad called and said he was in dire need of signing documents, and persuaded them to go to one and then another address, and on their arrival at the appointed location Malakzai got out of the car and was run over by three masked gunmen from an old vegetable store and shot in the head.

And the second son shouts, with red eyes from the intensity of crying: "I will not enjoy life until I avenge my father."

In an interview with Al-Monitor in February 2020, Malakzai stated that “the Taliban, after signing an agreement with the United States, told their supporters that they would establish their own government, and kill and eliminate those who previously worked with the US-backed governments.”

The current campaign of Taliban assassinations of Malakzai targets government officials, journalists, and civil society activists collaborating with foreign forces, and has already begun for months.

Last week, before capturing the capital, Taliban militants attacked the defense minister's home and on Saturday killed the former spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani.

Malakzai earned a master's degree in political science at Kabul University, after obtaining a degree in media from Pakistan.

Afghans who have worked with him since the first "Taliban" era in the late 1990s say: This man is characterized by selflessness, and provides every possible assistance to the citizens of Wardak.

He worked with a charity, then served for years on the provincial council, responsible for water and sanitation projects, and the expansion of the school system to include girls' education.

The Taliban's influence is noticeable in Wardak. The militants surrounded the Saidabad district in the spring, but were pushed back a month later with the help of additional Afghan security forces and Afghan air strikes.

One of the photographs taken at the time shows Malak Zai, dressed in camouflage, with an assault rifle hanging over his shoulder, as he descends from a military helicopter.

Malak Zai's brother, Sawab Khan Wardak, says he received a request in late May to meet with the Taliban. They told him they would give Malak Zai $500,000 if he surrenders his district without resistance, a common and effective Taliban tactic to buy out local officials and beleaguered salaried soldiers. low.

Malakzai declined the offer, and other Taliban officials spoke to him by phone directly about the matter, but he also declined.

Malakzai was unable to muster more government forces, and after another 10-day siege, his soldiers ran out of bullets and the Taliban took control of the area on June 27.

He did not betray his country

Wardak says, "My brother was not a traitor." In contrast, Wardak blames the weak government and corruption in Kabul for the inability to protect his brother, even while he is in Kabul, and the inability to send reinforcements, which led to such a rapid advance of the movement. He says: "If there is a strong will and government leaders who are honest, then (the Taliban) will not be able to do anything, they will not be able to advance, but unfortunately we have lost confidence in our government." After the fall of Sidon, the Taliban's financial offers turned into daily death threats against Malak Zai, and he told his friends that he might not live long. "He was a generous man," says his wife, crying. "Every time he comes home, he brings some guests, he always tries to help people." She concludes, "I will not forgive the brutal (Taliban) movement, and I will teach my children to avenge their father through education, not violence."

• After the fall of Saidabad, the Taliban's financial offers turned into daily death threats against Malak Zai, and he told his friends that he might not live long.

• The influence of the "Taliban" is noticeable in Wardak. The militants surrounded the Saidabad district in the spring, but were repelled a month later with the help of additional Afghan security forces and Afghan air strikes.

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