Qari Salahuddin Ayoubi is a prominent Uzbek commander within the Taliban and was appointed Governor of Logar Province in mid-July 2025.
Prior to this role, he served as Provincial Chief of Police in Zabul Province from October 2023 to July 2025. He also held the position of Deputy Minister of Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development between March 2022 and March 2023.
During the Taliban insurgency, Salahuddin Ayoubi was involved with the Taliban’s military unit operating in central Afghanistan, including Kabul. During that time, he reportedly served as the Taliban’s shadow governor for Faryab province. In 2015, Ayoubi was captured by Afghan intelligence in Herat province while traveling to Pakistan but was later released.
On August 15, 2021, the day the Taliban seized power in Kabul, Ayoubi was among the first group of Taliban members to enter the Afghan presidential palace. Following the takeover, he briefly served as the Chief of Staff at the 203 Mansoori Military Corps in Gardez, Paktia province.
