Sheikh Abdullah, who was a Soviet intelligence officer by the name of Khakimov Bakhrodin, was captured after being injured in battle with the Mujahideen. He stayed with his captors, converting to Islam and taking on the name Abdullah. Sheikh Abdullah got married to his wife Jamila with the support of the Jihad Museum vice president and has never returned to his former homeland.

The Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan on February 15, 1989 after ten years of fighting against the Mujahideen millitamen. The Jihad Museum was built in 2010 as a memorial to the Mujahideen heroes and as a place for Afghans to understand past conflicts and their history.