Muhammad Arif Sarwari Explained

Muhammad Arif Sarwari
Office:Governor of Panjshir
Term Start:6 June 2015
Term End:2017
Predecessor:Abdul Rahman Kabiri
Birth Place:Deh Mazang, Kabul Province, Afghanistan
Other Names:Muhammad Harif Sarwari
Occupation:legislator

Engineer Muhammad Arif Sarwari, also known simply as Engineer Arif, is a former Afghan intelligence official and politician.

Pre-Taliban

Sarwari studied electronics at a technical college, later transferring to Kabul Polytechnic.[1] He did not complete his studies, instead joining the anti-Soviet resistance in 1982 during the Soviet–Afghan War. In 1992, after the ouster of the communists, he was appointed the chief of security of Kabul. He later served as the first deputy of National Directorate of Security. When the Taliban seized Kabul he joined the forces of Ahmad Shah Masoud, who was later to lead the Afghan Northern Alliance.

Northern Alliance and post-war

During the first Taliban rule, Sarwari was the chief intelligence official of the Northern Alliance under Ahmad Shah Massoud.Massoud's September 9, 2001 assassination took place in Aref's office.[2]

After the September 11 attacks, he was a major figure in coordinating with the CIA's Jawbreaker team, which worked with the Northern Alliance and prepared the way for further military operations. After the fall of Kabul, Sarwari and his organization took over the existing Afghan National Directorate of Security, but he was removed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in early 2004 and replaced by Amrullah Saleh.

Governor of Panjshir

Sarwari was Governor of Panjshir Province .

Evacuation

After the Taliban captured Kabul in 2022, he was evacuated out of Afghanistan and into Kosovo.[3]

Personal life

Sarwari is married and has two sons and three daughters. He speaks Dari, Pashto, Russian and English.

References

Generic references

. Gary Schroen . First In: An Insider's Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan . Random House, Inc. . 2005 . 0-89141-872-5 . registration .

Notes and References

  1. News: Meshrano Jirga . . 2009-07-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091113173536/http://www.parliament.af/pme/showdoc.aspx?Id=12 . November 13, 2009.
  2. Book: 978-0-8021-4025-8. The Lion's Grave: Dispatches from Afghanistan. Grove Press. 2003. Jon Lee Anderson, Thomas Dworzak. 2010-12-05. 192. Engineer Muhammad Aref ('engineer' is a common Afghan honorific, indicating that someone is educated and has studied engineering), who is now the head of Afghan intelligence services, was Massoud's chief of security; it was in his office that the assassination took place..
  3. Web site: Ott . Haley . 2022-06-29 . Afghan official evacuated by U.S. says he and his family living "like prisoners" on American military base in Kosovo - CBS News . 2024-06-12 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.