Who he is: Within hours of the Northern Alliance taking Kabul in November 2001, Gul Agha Sherzai led a force of men across the border from Quetta in Pakistan towards Kandahar.
He reclaimed his position as Governor of Kandahar, which was lost when the Taleban took power in 1994.
He has supported the interim administration and it likely to support Hamid Karzai in his bid to become the new leader of Afghanistan.
What he believes: Reports suggest that he supports Hamid Karzai's campaign to rally southern Pashtun tribal leaders behind the exiled king Zahir Shah.