He was born in Kayan, Baghlan and is also known as Sayyid-i Kayan The son of the Sayed Mansoor Naderi, The previous Vice-President of Afghanistan Sayed Mansoor Naderi, Jafar went to school in England at age 10, after his father was made a political prisoner. Prior to his father calling him back to Afghanistan, He lived in Allentown, Pennsylvania, played drums in a heavy metal band and was an athlete.
He was sent to the United States at age 13 where he became known as Jeff Naderi. According to The World"s Most Dangerous Places, Jafar was rich when he returned to Afghanistan. He is considered one of the country"s most brutal and notorious warlords.
He was quoted in The World"s Most Dangerous Places as saying that he came to help the people of Baghlan, and the rest of the country.
During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan Jafar became Baghlan"s Member of Parliament. His army fought the Soviets, producing a stream of refugees who fled to Pakistan. Few returned until after the Taliban government fell.
The 80th Division (Afghanistan) was reportedly formed from tribal militia in the second half of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. In 1989 it was the major formation in Baghlan Province, under Jafar"s command, then 25 years old.
Jafar was the subject of the 1989 documentary "Warlord of Kayan" produced and directed by Jeff B. Harmon.
Sayed Jafar Naderi comes from a highly political family background. His father Sayed Mansur Naderi has been both the religious and political leader of Afghan Ismaili sector in the past 50 years. Jafar"s younger brother Sadat Mansoor Naderi who is a business person has been nominated for the post of Urban Development Minister by the president Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.
Jafar himself recently been appointed as security advisor to first vice president Abdul Rashid Dostum.
Sayed Jafar"s younger sister Farkhunda Zahra Naderi is a member of Afghan Parliament and a well-known rights activist in the country.
