Mullah Abdul Salam Rocketi (born 1958) is a former mujahideen freedom fighter and Taliban military commander who renounced his allegiance to run for the Parliament of Afghanistan in 2005, and for the Presidency in 2009.
After a long war he was appointed as governor and military head of Maidan Wardak Province, He was also the main commander who took Kabul from the Mujahedeen.
A member of the Abdul Rasul Sayyaf's Islamic Dawah Organisation of Afghanistan, his residence was raided by Pakistani militias who uncovered a cache of Stinger missiles, and arrested his brother.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald Rocketi, commenting on a recent Taliban offensive in 2006, said:[10] They don't have the power to take territory and hold it for a long time.
[11][12] According to the Asia Times: An official of a Kabul-based European body that has had a major role in facilitating the talks between the Taliban and coalition forces confirmed to Asia Times Online, on condition of anonymity, that high-level talks between Taliban commanders and coalition forces through Rocketi and Zaeef had taken place in an attempt to find a broader political settlement.Rocketi was a candidate in the 2009 Afghan Presidential election but subsequently endorsed President Hamid Karzai.