General killed in afghanistan biography

Leader of Afghanistan from to

Mohammad Najibullah Ahmadzai (Pashto/Dari: محمد نجیب‌الله احمدزی, Pashto:[mʊˈhamadnad͡ʒibʊˈlɑahmadˈzai]; 6 August – 27 September ), commonly known as Dr. Najib, was an Afghan military officer and politician who served as the fifth president of Afghanistan from until his resignation in April , shortly after the Afghan mujahideen's takeover of Kabul. He was also the General Secretary of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) from to After a failed attempt to flee to India, Najibullah remained in Kabul, and lived in the United Nations headquarters until his assassination during the Taliban's first capture of Kabul in

A graduate of Kabul University, Najibullah held different careers under the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). Following the Saur Revolution and the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, Najibullah was a low profile bureaucrat. He was sent into exile as Ambassador to Iran during Hafizullah Amin's rise to power. He returned to Afghanistan following the Soviet intervention which toppled Amin's rule and placed Babrak Karmal as head of the state, the party and the government. During Karmal's rule, Najibullah became head of the KHAD, the Afghan equivalent of the Soviet KGB. He was a member of the Parcham faction led by Karmal. During Najibullah's tenure as KHAD head, it became one of the most brutally efficient governmental organs. Because of this, he gained the attention of several leading Soviet officials, such as Yuri Andropov, Dmitriy Ustinov and Boris Ponomarev. In , Najibullah was appointed to the PDPA Politburo. In , Najibullah stepped down as the state security minister to focus on PDPA politics; he had been appointed to the PDPA Secretariat. Soviet General SecretaryMikhail Gorbachev, also the last Soviet leader, was able to get Karmal to step down as PDPA General Secretary in , and rep

The USC community is mourning the loss of one of its most accomplished graduates, Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene MS &#;89, MS &#;90, PhD &#;92, who died in the line of duty in Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Greene had earned dual master&#;s degrees in materials science and mechanical engineering and a doctorate in materials science from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.

&#;General Greene served our country with honor and distinction. He served with unparalleled dedication and offered the highest sacrifice, his own life,&#; said Yannis C. Yortsos, dean of USC Viterbi. &#;We are honored and proud to count him as our own. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.&#;

We are honored and proud to count him as our own.

Yannis C. Yortsos

His time at USC

Florian Mansfeld, now a professor emeritus of materials science, served as Greene&#;s academic advisor at USC. He remembers a warm and friendly student, a bit older than his classmates but friendly with everyone.

&#;Everybody liked him. He had a great sense of humor,&#; Mansfeld said. &#;He worked very fast, and was always willing to help the other students.&#;

Before applying to USC, Greene called Mansfeld and told him that the U.S. Army had given him an opportunity to pursue a PhD &#; at a different school.

&#;He told me he was supposed to go to another university, but that he liked my program better,&#; Mansfeld said. &#;He wanted to come to USC.&#;

Greene somehow convinced his superiors to send him to USC&#;s engineering school, where he researched and wrote a dissertation about how the materials used in helicopter rotor blades experience corrosion and fatigue when exposed to polluted air.

His devotion to his work was mirrored by his devotion to his family, Mansfeld remembers. Mansfeld often invited students to his home for holiday dinners, which Greene attended with his wife and young son. His daughter was born right around his graduation.

Engine

Died August 5, Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

55, of Schenectady, N.Y.; assigned as deputy commanding general of Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan; died Aug. 5 of wounds caused by small-arms fire in an insider attack in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Pentagon ceremony recalls Army 2-star killed in Afghanistan

By Michelle Tan

Staff writer

Maj. Gen. Harold Greene, the first general officer to be killed on the battlefield since the Vietnam War, was remembered Wednesday as a leader, scholar and family man who cared deeply about soldiers.

A standing room-only crowd gathered in the Pentagon auditorium for the memorial ceremony, which was marked with tears but also laughter as Greene was remembered for his sharp wit, his love of the Boston Red Sox and his outsized personality.

Greene was killed Aug. 5 in a deadly insider attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. He will be laid to rest Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery.

Greene’s death is “an exceptionally painful loss for the Greene family and the Army family,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said.

“We can never repay those who raised their right hands and gave their lives to our country,” he said. “What I’ll always remember about Harry is he was a true patriot and the epitome of what we expect of our senior leaders.”

Greene was the deputy commanding general of Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan. CSTC-A, along with the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan, is primarily responsible for training and advising the Afghan National Security Forces.

Greene was committed to his work and passionate about providing soldiers with the best possible gear and protection, Odierno said.

“His dedication and work saved countless lives,” he said. “I believe he had a rare combination of intellect, passion and the warrior ethos.”

Greene’s life “will be remembered not for how it ended but for what he achieved,” said Heidi Shyu, the assistant secretary of

Afghan General Abdul Raziq, 39, known for his fierce stance against the Taliban, was killed along with a local intelligence commander Abdul Mohmin when a bodyguard opened fire after a meeting in the governor’s compound in Kandahar.

Kandahar Governor Zalmay Wesa was also severely wounded on Thursday and contradictory reports whether he survived could not be confirmed early on Friday.

General Scott Miller, the top US commander in Afghanistan who attended the meeting with Abdul Raziq only moments earlier, was not hurt in the attack. Three Americans were wounded.

In a claim of responsibility, the Taliban said they targeted both Miller and Raziq.

“It’s the loss of a patriot,” US defence chief James Mattis said on Friday, referring to Raziq’s death.

Taliban hatred

Born in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar, Abdul Raziq Achakzai, an ethnic Pashtun, was from the Adozai subtribe of the Achakzai tribe.

His father and uncle were killed by the Taliban in Soon after, Abdul Raziq and his family fled to Pakistan until the Taliban was overthrown in the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in

Upon returning, he joined an anti-Taliban force in Kandahar under Gul Agha Sherzai and Fayda Mohammad, which overthrew the Taliban government in the city.

He started off as a young border policeman working between Kandahar and Pakistan’s Balochistan province in  Over the years, he steadily rose in the ranks of the security forces.

Because of his strong commitment to fighting the Taliban, Abdul Raziq became a favourite of the US-led coalition and received significant aid for training and weapons from the United States over the past few years. He was viewed as one of the country’s most effective leaders, crediting him with keeping the Taliban in check in Kandahar.

He was known to stay away from politics and instead dealt with the Taliban and other armed groups in a bid to maintain stability. A critic of Afghan Pr