Not much is known about Fazl, except that he served as the deputy defense minister under the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban rule).[8][9] American intelligence analysts estimate that Fazl was born in 1967, in Sekzi, Caher Cineh District, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan.[10] Although he negotiated an amnesty with the Afghan Northern Alliance leader Abdul Rashid Dostum,[11] it is alleged that he is responsible for killing thousands of Shi'a Afghans between 1996 and late 2001.[8]