Engineer

Engineer (Afghan honorific)

According to the author and reporter Jon Lee Anderson: "Engineer is a common Afghan honorific, indicating that someone is educated and has studied engineering."...

 Muhammad Arif Sarwari, also known simply as Engineer Arif, is a former Afghan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

 intelligence official and politician.

Pre-Taliban

Sarwari studied electrelectronics at a technical college, later transferring to Kabul Polytechnic

Polytechnical University of Kabul

Kabul Polytechnic is a university located in Kabul, Afghanistan and was established in 1963 in Karte Mamourin area beside the Intercontinental Hotel...

. He did not complete his studies, instead joining the anti-Soviet resistance in 1982 during the Soviet–Afghan War

Soviet war in Afghanistan

The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...

. In 1992, after the ouster of the communists

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan

The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was a government of Afghanistan between 1978 and 1992. It was both ideologically close to and economically dependent on the Soviet Union, and was a major belligerent of the Afghan Civil War.- Saur Revolution :...

, 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

Kabul

Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...

 he joined the forces of Ahmad Shah Masoud, who was later to lead the Afghan Northern Alliance.

Northern Alliance and post-war

During the period of Taliban rule, Sarwani 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.

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

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...

. After the fall of Kabul he and his organization took over the existing Afghan National Directorate of Security, but he was removed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai

Hamid Karzai

Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...

 in early 2004 and replaced by Amrullah Saleh

Amrullah Saleh

Amrullah Saleh is an Afghan politician who last served as the head of the Afghan National Directorate of Security...

.