Abdul Rasul Sayyaf

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Abdul Rasul Sayyaf is a political leader in Afghanistan. He is the head of the Islamic Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan, which was allied with the United Front in its war against the governing Taliban.

Sayyaf was commander of a militia that fought against Soviet occupying forces in Afghanistan during the 1980s. He holds a degree in religion from Kabul University and a masters from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.

The 9/11 Commission Report mentions on page 146 that Sayyaf was a mentor to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the chief manager of the "planes operation" which culminated in the quadruple hijackings of 2001. Somewhat ironically, the report also mentions on page 149 that "Sayyaf was close to Ahmed Shah Massoud, the leader of the Afghan Northern Alliance. Therefore working with him might [have been] a problem for KSM because Bin Laden was building ties to the rival Taliban."

In Kathy Gannon's "I is for Infidel, From Holy War to Holy Terror: 18 Years in Afghanistan". Mrs. Gannon mentions the Abu Sayyaf group, a Philippine terrorist organization, "was named for him by its founder Abdurajak Janjalani. Janjalani was a student and a disciple of his who received military training from him."

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