Gulbuddin Hekmatyar vs Zhang Xianzhong

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar founded the Hezb-e Islami political party, an Islamist faction that became one of the most powerful mujahideen groups during the Soviet-Afghan War. The party received significant support from Pakistan's ISI and foreign Islamist donors.

Hekmatyar served as Prime Minister of Afghanistan from 1993 to 1994 under President Burhanuddin Rabbani. His tenure was marked by intense factional fighting, including rocket attacks on Kabul that caused thousands of civilian casualties, contributing to the devastation of the city.

After the Taliban captured Kabul in 1996, Hekmatyar initially fled to Iran. He later aligned with the Taliban regime, though his influence waned. He remained in Afghanistan until the US-led invasion in 2001, after which he fled to Pakistan.

Hekmatyar signed a peace agreement with the Afghan government of President Ashraf Ghani in 2016. The deal allowed him to return to Afghanistan from exile, with his party recognized as a political entity and his fighters integrated into state security forces.

Zhang Xianzhong joined a peasant rebellion in Shaanxi province during the late Ming dynasty. He quickly rose to become a major rebel leader, gathering a large army and establishing a base of operations in the region.

Zhang Xianzhong captured the city of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. He then proclaimed the Daxi dynasty and made Chengdu his capital. The capture was accompanied by widespread destruction and massacres of the local population.

Zhang Xianzhong proclaimed the Daxi (Great Western) dynasty in Sichuan. He established a government and minted his own coinage. His rule was characterized by extreme violence, including the systematic killing of scholars, officials, and civilians.

Zhang Xianzhong was killed in battle against Qing forces in Xichong, Sichuan. His death led to the collapse of the Daxi dynasty. The Qing conquest of Sichuan was completed shortly after, but the province had been devastated by years of warfare.