Belonging to the
Khogyani tribe of
Pashtuns, Maulvi Mohammad Yunus Khalis was born in 1919 in
Khogyani District,
Nangarhar Province in Afghanistan. Educated in
Islamic law and
theology at the
Darul Uloom Haqqania in
Pakistan, Khalis exercised influence through his conservative vision of Islamic society. Sometimes referred to as the
don of Nangarhar, he was also a shrewd politician who wielded considerable power behind the scenes during one of the most turbulent and violent periods in his country’s history. After the overthrow of king
Zahir Shah by
Daoud Khan in 1973, Khalis reportedly wrote a book criticizing Daoud's administration, which forced him to flee to Pakistan in 1974. There he joined
Hekmatyar's Islamic Party (
Hezb-e Islami). After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Khalis broke with Hekmatyar and established his own party (
Hezb-e Islami Khalis). Unlike some other leaders of the
Afghan mujahideen, Khalis depended more on his tribal support rather than religious to gather followers in his native Nangarhar province against the
Democratic Republic. Khalis reportedly entered Afghanistan many times to join his forces in waging war against the Soviets and their local proxies. Many prominent mujahideen commanders including
Abdul Haq,
Amin Wardak Faisal Babakarkhail and
Jalaluddin Haqqani were affiliated with Hezb-e-Islami Khalis. In 1987, Khalis met with President
Ronald Reagan at the
White House while in the United States following a U.N General Assembly Vote calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. President Reagan expressed his support for the Mujahedin and called Afghanistan a "nation of heroes." After the fall of the Communist regime in 1992, Khalis participated in the interim
Islamic State government. He was a member of the Leadership Council (Shura-ye Qiyaadi), but held no other official post. Instead of moving to
Kabul, he chose to remain in Nangarhar. His party controlled major parts of this politically and strategically important province. The
Taliban brought Nangarhar under their control in September 1996 and Khalis was supportive of the Taliban movement and had a close relationship with Taliban commanders. Khalis resided in Pakistan in the late 1990s. After the fall of the Taliban, his supporters regained their stronghold in Jalalabad where Khalis exerted considerable influence, although he held no official post. Two of his close associates, Haji
Abdul Qadir and
Haji Din Mohammad served as governors of Nangarhar Province after the fall of the Communist regime.
Steve Coll described Yunus Khalis as "an octogenarian who took teenage wives." According to a statement from his son
Anwar ul Haq Mujahid, leader of the insurgent group
Tora Bora Military Front, Khalis died on 19 July 2006. ==Books==