Najibullah

Najibullah (born 1947, Gardeyz, Paktia province, Afghanistan—died September 27, 1996, Kabul) was an Afghan military official and communist politician who served as president of Afghanistan from 1987 to 1992. A member of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), he came to power with Soviet backing during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Najibullah sought to stabilize the war-ravaged country through a policy of national reconciliation and oversaw the withdrawal of Soviet troops in 1989. His government survived for several years after the Soviet withdrawal but collapsed in 1992, following the loss of Soviet aid and advances of mujahideen forces, marking the end of communist rule in Afghanistan. He was captured and executed in Kabul by the Taliban after they took control of the city in 1996.

Early life

Najibullah (who, like many Afghans, had only a single name) was born into a prominent Pashtun family in Gardeyz, Paktia province. He attended Habibia High School in Kabul and began studying medicine at Kabul University in 1964. He received his degree in 1975 but never practiced medicine, having become increasingly involved in politics during university.

Political rise

He joined the Banner (Parcham) faction of the newly formed People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) in 1965 while studying at Kabul University and became active in leftist student politics. He was twice imprisoned for student demonstrations and other political activities during the reign of Mohammad Zahir Shah, who was deposed in a bloodless coup in 1973 led by Mohammad Daud Khan. In 1978 the PDPA staged a successful coup (often called the Saur revolution) against Khan, who was overthrown and killed. The PDPA, led by Nur Mohammad Taraki of the rival People’s (Khalq) faction, marginalized Banner leaders. Like many other leaders of the Banner faction who were sent abroad as ambassadors, Najibullah was named ambassador to Iran in 1978. However, he was fired within months after being accused of plotting to overthrow the government led by the People’s faction. Najibullah remained in exile in eastern Europe until the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 overthrew the regime of Hafizullah Amin. The Soviet Union backed the Banner faction under Babrak Karmal.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Head of the secret police

After returning to Afghanistan in 1979, Najibullah was appointed head of the secret police or the State Information Service (KhAD; Dari: “Khadimat-e Atal’at-e Dowlati”), the country’s intelligence and security agency. He served as the head of KhAD from 1980 to 1985, overseeing counterinsurgency and internal security operations during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Under his leadership KhAD grew into one of Afghanistan’s most powerful institutions and worked closely with the Soviet KGB. KhAD was widely accused by human rights organizations of arbitrary arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings of opponents. Najibullah became known for his brutality and ruthlessness, and his methods proved invaluable to the regime in view of escalating guerrilla warfare with the mujahideen.

Presidency

Najibullah succeeded Babrak Karmal as president in 1987 after being chosen by the ruling PDPA and also received strong backing from the Soviet Union. Seeking to broaden support beyond the PDPA, he introduced a policy of “national reconciliation.” The policy included offers of negotiations and a ceasefire with the mujahideen alongside economic and political reforms. Despite these efforts, his government failed to garner popular backing amid the ongoing civil war.

During Najibullah’s presidency the Soviet Union completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989 under the Geneva Accords of 1988. Although many observers expected his government to collapse immediately after Soviet withdrawal, it remained in power for three more years with Soviet economic and military assistance. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, however, the loss of aid and defection of key military commanders weakened the government. Najibullah was finally forced from office in April 1992, when the mujahideen rebels reached Kabul. Blocked from exiting the country, he took refuge in a United Nations compound for four years. When the Taliban militia captured the capital, Kabul, in 1996, they seized Najibullah from the UN compound and summarily executed him.