Younus Qanooni joined Ahmad Shah Massoud’s mujahidin based in his native Panjshir Valley following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He was involved in establishing the Northern Alliance and served as Interior Minister in Burhanuddin Rabbani’s government. He was chief negotiator for the Northern Alliance delegation to the Bonn conference. Mr Qanooni was minister in the post-Bonn Interim Administration and Education Minister in the Afghan Transitional Administration (established in June 2002), and was a security advisor to interim President Hamid Karzai. He is a former Vice President of Afghanistan and Speaker of the Afghan parliament (Wolesi Jirga), and is currently leader of the Afghanistan e Naween (New Afghanistan) political party.

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Accord Issue 27: Afghanistan

Younus Qanooni is a contributor to our Accord publication series and not a staff member of Conciliation Resources. The views expressed in the publication are their own and do not reflect the position of Conciliation Resources. We cannot share contributors' contact details.