When Herat finally fell, he was handed over to the Taleban by General Pahlawan after a deal in 1997. He escaped last year after three years in a Taleban prison.
A member of Jamiat-e-Islami, the largest political party in the alliance, led by Burhanuddin Rabbani. Mr Khan is thought to have received backing from Iran. Fighters loyal to Mr Khan reclaimed Herat for the former governor shortly after the Northern Alliance entered Kabul.
He is seen as the most independent of all regional governors, but is widely believed to be influenced and to have received assistance from of Iran. A new road had been recently built from the Iranian border to Herat.
Ismail Khan's powerbase is drawn mainly from Afghanistan's minority Shia Muslim population and wants increased representation for his region in the interim government. He is not considered a credible figurehead to many of the country's Pashtun majority.
Described by Afghanistan expert Ahmad Rashid as "shrewd, short and with an elfin smile", it was Khan's epic escape from his Taleban captors in March last year which brought him to prominence.
Few believed the stories about his escape until it was confirmed a week later. Speaking to the BBC, he said people dissatisfied with Taleban rule had helped him.During the time that he was on the run his son denied he had escaped and said he had been "eliminated" by the Taleban. Meanwhile, the Taleban offered a large reward for his recapture. But nearly 18 months later there is little word of the man who was feted for liberating Herat from 12 years of communist rule. Khan was an officer in the national army and rose up against the Soviet forces stationed in Herat just months after their arrival in 1979. This initial fray resulted in the death of hundreds of Soviet soldiers.
It was the start of his 10 year war against communism.
In the beginning, Khan's rule in the city was hailed as a success.
Herat's schools were filled with more than 40,000 children, nearly 50% of
which were girls. But the establishment of a conscript army was not welcome
in the traditionally liberal city. Corrupt officials and reports of a lack
of funds to pay his soldiers were weaknesses that counted against him when
the Taleban launched their offensives towards Herat.
Taking the city of Herat, which sits near the borders of Iran and
Turkmenistan was an asset too attractive for the Taleban to ignore. The
value of controlling the Pakistan-Turkmenistan highway has proven to be a
big earner for the regime.
Ismael Khan is currently the minsiter of Water and Energy in Karzai's new
government. By undertaking the minister post he has lost his role as the
powerful governor of the provnice Herat. Many critics have praised the
steps he has taken to better the electricity situation in the capital Kabul.
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The End. Feb 11 2004