The life of Afghan Gen. Abdul Raziq, whose assassination Thursday was a huge Taliban victory
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Daniel Brown
Oct 20, 2018, 02:32 IST
Australian Defense Force
Brig. Gen. Abdul Raziq, Kandahar chief of police, speaks to the assembled locals of Kajran in Daykundi province during a shura Oct. 22.
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The Taliban carried out an insider attack on Thursday inside the governor's palace in Kandahar province, killing the provincial intelligence chief, wounding two Americans and barely missing the top US commander in Afghanistan, General Austin "Scott" Miller.
But the attack also killed Brig. Gen. Abdul Raziq, Kandahar's powerful police chief.
A fierce Taliban fighter, Raziq, 39, had previously survived several assassination attemps, and was seen as an invaluable US ally, largely credited with pacifying Kandahar province just a few years earlier.
But he was also a fierce critic of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, and had been previously accused of torture and corruption.
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Here's a look at his life and impact.
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Brig. Gen. Abdul Raziq was an ethnic Pashtun who was born in southern Kandahar province's Spin Boldak district.
Soon afterwards, Raziq became a police officer, operating along the border between Kandahar and Pakistan's Balochistan province. He would quickly rise through the ranks, becoming a trusted ally of the US as he was seen as a fierce Taliban fighter.
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In 2011, after the Taliban assassinated Khan Mahammad Mojayed, the former Kandahar police chief, Raziq was made the provincial police chief, charged with securing Kandahar City from the Taliban.
By 2015, with a group of loyal police officers, Raziq had taken control of Kandahar province using scorched-earth methods, and earning the praise of US military leaders.
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But Raziq would also be accused of human rights abuses, corruption and drug-trafficking along the way.
To the Taliban, Raziq was a sought after target. In fact, the police chief had survived several assassination attempts over the years, once telling TOLO News he had escaped 29 attempts.
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In the last few years of his life, Raziq often disregarded the chain of command, criticized Afghan President Ghani and would often walk around without his uniform on. Ghani considered firing him, but the US dissuaded him, arguing it would bring instability.
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