Sayed Jafar Naderi

Sayed Jafar Naderi (born May 5, 1965), also known as Jeff Naderi, is an Afghan military commander and politician who served as governor of Baghlan Province during the late Soviet–Afghan War and early 1990s.^[1] He is the son of Sayed Mansur Naderi, a prominent Ismaili religious and political leader in Afghanistan.^[2]

Naderi commanded the 80th Infantry Division, a predominantly Ismaili militia that controlled Baghlan Province during the 1980s and early 1990s. He was the subject of the 1989 documentary Warlord of Kayan, directed by Jeff B. Harmon, which won the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival.^[3]

Sayed Jafar Naderi was born on May 5, 1965, in Kayan, Baghlan, a center of Ismaili population in Afghanistan.^[1] He is the eldest son of Sayed Mansur Naderi, who held the traditional position of Sayed of Kayan and was a religious leader of Afghanistan's Ismaili community.^[4]

At age 10, Naderi was sent to school in England after his father was imprisoned by the Afghan government. At age 13, he was sent to the United States, where he lived in Allentown, Pennsylvania.^[5] In Allentown, he became known as "Jeff Naderi" and was involved in the local motorcycle and rock music scene.^[6]

Naderi returned to Afghanistan in the mid-1980s. His father had formed a militia with government support to protect supply routes through Baghlan Province during the Soviet–Afghan War.^[7] The 80th Infantry Division was formed from this tribal militia in the latter part of the Soviet–Afghan War.^[8]

By 1989, at age 24, Naderi commanded the 80th Division, which had become the major military formation in Baghlan Province. The division consisted of approximately 12,000–18,000 troops, primarily from the Ismaili community.^[9] He also served as governor of Baghlan Province during this period.^[10]

Following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, Naderi played a role in the political and military developments that led to the fall of President Mohammad Najibullah's government. According to the Parliament of Australia's research service, Naderi collaborated with Abdul Rashid Dostum, Ahmad Shah Massoud, and other non-Pashtun leaders to sever the government's supply routes from the former Soviet Union, contributing to Najibullah's downfall in 1992.^[11]

Naderi and his father were involved in founding the National Islamic Movement, a political organization advocating for minority rights and federal governance in Afghanistan.^[12]

In November 2014, Naderi was appointed as security advisor to Afghanistan's First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum.^[13]

Naderi was the subject of the 1989 documentary Warlord of Kayan, directed by Jeff B. Harmon. The film documents his transition from life in Pennsylvania to becoming a military commander and governor in Afghanistan. The documentary won the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival.^[14] A photograph from the film was featured on the cover of The Sunday Times Magazine.^[15]

Naderi comes from a prominent political family. His father, Sayed Mansur Naderi, served as a member of parliament and Second Vice President of Afghanistan during President Burhanuddin Rabbani's administration.^[16]

His younger brother, Sadat Mansoor Naderi, served as Afghanistan's Minister of Urban Development and Housing (2015–2018) and State Minister for Peace (2020–2021) under President Ashraf Ghani.^[17]

His younger sister, Farkhunda Zahra Naderi, served as a member of the Afghan Parliament (2010–2015) and was later appointed as a senior advisor to President Ashraf Ghani.^[18]

His cousin, Sayed Dawood Naderi, was elected to parliament from Kunduz Province.^[19]

• Sayed Mansur Naderi
• Sadat Mansoor Naderi
• Farkhunda Zahra Naderi
• Kayan, Baghlan
• Warlord of Kayan
• Soviet–Afghan War

• Sayed Kayan Association website
• Warlord of Kayan at Journeyman Pictures