Achakzai tribe

The Achakzai tribe is a herding clan whose history of growing strength and military cohesion made it central to the resistance in the Kandahar region. Its rise from a subdivision of the Durrani clan to a powerful militia helps explain why its leader’s wavering commitment in 1985 could unsettle the wider campaign against the Soviet invasion.

Origins and Standing

The Achakzai were sheep and goat herders who had originally belonged to the dominant Durrani clan. In 1750, Ahmed Shah Abdali, the founder of modern Afghanistan, separated them from the Durrani and established them as a clan in their own right. This accorded with Afghan custom, which allowed a sub-clan to separate from its parent once it had grown sufficiently large or strong. The decision also recognized the Achakzai as a force that had to be reckoned with and appeased.

Over the following two centuries, the clan increased in status and power. Its reputation as a fierce fighting force rested not only on individual courage but on a strong collective discipline: every man was considered likely to follow his leader without question. That cohesion made the Achakzai a consequential regional power, not merely a group of local herders.

Militia and Resistance

During the early years of the war against the Russians, Asmatullah Achakzai Muslim organized his men into a well-armed, highly disciplined militia. In the Kandahar region, the force became the spearhead of the independence struggle, described as the jihad to drive out the Soviet invaders. The militia’s standing gave Asmatullah’s choices significance well beyond his own fighters: the resistance in the region depended heavily on his commitment and on the men under his command.

Withdrawal and Regional Consequences

Toward the end of 1985, while Lin and his companions waited in Quetta to cross into Afghanistan, Asmatullah began to vacillate about continuing the war. He pulled his militia back from active service and entered secret peace talks with the Russians and their Afghan government in Kabul. The withdrawal caused the resistance in the Kandahar region to collapse. Other mujaheddin units outside his control, including Khader’s men in the mountains north of the city, remained in position but were left isolated, with every supply route perilously exposed to Russian attack.

The uncertainty over whether Asmatullah would resume the jihad or change sides and support the Russians prolonged the group’s wait in Quetta. The episode establishes the Achakzai militia as a decisive regional force while showing how its concentrated leadership and military strength made the surrounding resistance vulnerable to one leader’s political hesitation.