Oriental Rugs the O'Connell Notes

Notes on Hamid Karzai

Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld (right) escorts Afghan President Hamid Karzai (Left) through an honor cordon and into the Pentagon on June 14, 2004. The two men will meet to discuss a range of security issues particular to Afghanistan and its immediate neighbors. Detail of DoD photo by R. D. Ward. (Released)

Afghan President Hamid Karzai meets with Secretary of Defense
Donald H. Rumsfeld in the Pentagon on June 14, 2004, to discuss
security issues relating to his country. Detail of DoD photo by
R. D. Ward. (Released)

Hamid Karzai is the President of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan.

Karzai adopted a traditional Pashtun outfit topped by an astrakhan hat and long Tajik coat embroidered in the national colors early in his bid for national leadership.

Hamid Karzai is the son of the late Abdul Ahad Karzai. With the death of his father Hamid Karzai became the leader of the Popalzai Tribe which ruled Afghanistan from 1747 to 1818. Karzai is a blood relative of King Zahir Shah's wife. Early on Karzai was a Taliban supporter but he changed with the death of his father.

Karzai went in to Afghanistan well before the fall of Taliban to raise his tribe against the Taliban. Engaged in running gun battles where he was badly out gunned Karzai was able to fight the Taliban while recruiting allies.

Ahmed Karzai, is a brother of tribal chief Hamid Karzai,

Quayum Karzai is a brother of tribal chief Hamid Karzai,

Karzai's Bodyguards - Notes on DynCorp

Karzai, Ahad Khan.

Ahad Khan Karzai was assassinated in Quetta by a motorcyclist who killed Karzai as he returned home from his Mosque. He was the leader of the Popalzai tribe one of the major Durrani Pashtun tribes. I believe that the killer was from Pakistani ISI or possibly al-Qaeda. Most people say Taliban was the killer but they are all about the same thing.
Abdul Ahad Karzai was a Senator in Kabul under the reign of King Zahir Shah.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is a Pashtun and he was selected because he was a Pashtun. in terms of fighting Taliban he was a Johnny come lately. He never really did much of anything until he was backed up by a CIA commando squad. The CIA and the Pentagon decided that a Pashtun particularly a Western Pashtun of the Popalzai Tribe had a better chance of making peace with the strongly Pro-Taliban Pro al-Qaeda Pashtun Tribesmen. The goofy outfit he wears was designed by a CIA hired image consultant to appeal to his various constituencies.

Karzai's reign has eerie similarities to the puppet government of Shah Shuja that the British placed in power in 1840 . If you remember after two years of relative peace the Pashtuns rose up against the puppet Kink and then slaughtered all of the British except for Dr. Brydon who was the only member of the 17,500 Army of the Indus to make it out alive.

(N.B. The British being what they are will often quibble and point out that a handful of prisoners and hostages survived as well as 8 British wives but out of 17,500 troops and an equal number of wives, servants and assorted camp followers 20 out of 35,000 is a terrible drubbing. An old friend of mine once mentioned that his Grandfather had two British Medals. I asked how he got them assuming that he had served in India. My friend looked surprised and said, "He took them off the body, of course.")