Hyder Akbar

Last updated

Said Hyder Akbar (born 1984 in Peshawar, Pakistan)[ citation needed ] is an American writer and an entrepreneur in Afghanistan.

Akbar, a citizen of both Afghanistan and the United States, attended Diablo Valley College and transferred to Yale University. [1] Akbar is from a political family, including Said Shamsoudin Majroh, who was the architect of Afghanistan's first constitution in 1964 and who had served as the Minister of Justice and Head of Tribal Affairs; Said Bahaoudin Majroh, who had served as Governor and was considered one of Afghanistan's leading intellectuals; and another influential member of the family was Shal Pacha, a tribal leader whose influence was particularly strong in the eastern region as well as the FATA areas of Pakistan. His father is Said Fazal Akbar, a former governor of the Kunar Province of Afghanistan. [2]

While assisting US forces, Akbar encouraged an Afghan man, Abdul Wali, to turn himself in and assured Wali he would not be mistreated. [2] Akbar accompanied Wali to a US base, and served as a translator for David Passaro, a former special forces soldier, whom the CIA had hired, on contract, to serve as an interrogator—even though he had no background in interrogation. Akbar later described Passaro as "full of rage" [2] and "a big a--hole". [3] He said he had to stop translating because Passaro became too aggressive. [3] After Akbar left, Wali was beaten by Passaro and later died from his injuries. [4]

Based in part on Akbar's testimony and a letter from his father,[ clarification needed ] who said Passaro created distrust and set back reconstruction efforts, Passaro was convicted of assault and sentenced to eight years and four months imprisonment on February 14, 2007. [5]

Akbar and radio producer Susan Burton later wrote a book about his experiences in Afghanistan: Come Back to Afghanistan: A California Teenager's Story, published by Bloomsbury in 2005. [3] [6] The book received several honors: San Francisco Chronicle Book of the Year, New York Times Editor's Pick, USA Today’s Top 10 Memoirs, ALA Top 10 Books for Young Readers.

Akbar has also made two documentaries for This American Life , a Peabody-winning NPR program, both broadcast during 2003 (episodes 230 and 254). The first documentary focused on life in Kabul in post-Taliban Afghanistan and the challenges that faced the central government. The second was based on time spent in Kunar, Afghanistan – a volatile province on the border with Pakistan. Akbar's work on NPR received a National Journalism Award, a Third Coast International Silver Prize and an Overseas Press Club citation.

Akbar has appeared on Morning Edition, PBS and BBC World News among others. He has also been featured in GQ, New York Magazine, and The Los Angeles Times and various other publications. Akbar has also authored articles for The New York Times and Slate.

Along with his work in the media, Akbar has also been involved with the Hoover Institution in archiving and keeping records of Afghanistan's current events.

Akbar was also the co-director of Wadan Afghanistan, an NGO that he founded to focus on quick impact reconstruction projects in his native province of Kunar. The NGO rebuilt schools and helped villages with access to water among other things.

Akbar is fluent in English, Pashto, Dari, Hindi, and Urdu.

While at Yale, Akbar became the subject of controversy when he and two other students were arrested for arson after he burned an American flag. [7] [8] Akbar admitted to burning the flag and had to perform 50 hours of community service. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Zubaydah</span> Saudi Arabian Guantanamo detainee

Abu Zubaydah is a Saudi Arabian currently held by the U.S. in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. He is held under the authority of Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalid Sheikh Mohammed</span> Pakistani member of al-Qaeda (born 1964)

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is a Pakistani Islamist militant held by the United States at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp under terrorism-related charges. He was named as "the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks" in the 9/11 Commission Report. He is often referred to by his initials, KSM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmed Wali Karzai</span> Afghan politician

Ahmed Wali Karzai was a politician in Afghanistan who served as Chairman of the Kandahar Provincial Council from 2005 until his death. He was the younger paternal half-brother of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and an elder of the Popalzai tribe. Wali Karzai formerly lived in the United States, where he managed a restaurant owned by his family. He returned to Afghanistan following the removal of the Taliban government in late 2001. He has been accused of political corruption and was allegedly on the CIA payroll. He was assassinated by one of his close bodyguards, Sardar Mohammad, on 12 July 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asadabad, Afghanistan</span> City in Kunar, Afghanistan

Asadabad, also called Chaghasarai (چغسرای), is the capital city of Kunar Province in Afghanistan. It is located in the eastern-northeastern portion of the country. The city is located within a valley at the confluence of the Pech River and Kunar River between two mountain ridgelines running along both sides of the valley from Northeast to Southwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mamdouh Habib</span> Former Guantanamo Bay detainee

Mamdouh Habib is an Egyptian and Australian citizen with dual nationality, best known for having been held for more than three years by the United States as an enemy combatant, by both the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and military authorities. He was sent by extraordinary rendition from Pakistan to Egypt after his arrest. He was held the longest at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp as an enemy combatant. Finally released without charges in January 2005, Habib struggled to have his account of his experiences believed, as he alleged he had been tortured by the CIA, Egyptians, and US military, at times with Australian intelligence officers present. For some time, each of the governments denied his allegations, but they have gradually been confirmed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt Pit</span> Former CIA prison in Afghanistan

The Salt Pit and Cobalt were the code names of an isolated clandestine CIA black site prison and interrogation center outside Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. It was located north of Kabul and was the location of a brick factory prior to the Afghanistan War. The CIA adapted it for extrajudicial detention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kunar Province</span> Province of Afghanistan

Kunar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital is Asadabad. Its population is estimated to be 508,224. Kunar's major political groups include Wahhabis or Ahl-e- Hadith, Nazhat-e Hambastagi Milli, Hezb-e Afghanistan Naween, Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omar Deghayes</span> Libyan citizen

Omar Amer Deghayes is a Libyan citizen who had legal residency status with surviving members of his family in the United Kingdom since childhood. He was arrested in Pakistan in 2002. He was held by the United States as an enemy combatant at Guantanamo Bay detention camp from 2002 until December 18, 2007. He was released without charges and returned to Britain, where he lives. His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 727. Deghayes says he was blinded permanently in one eye, after a guard at Guantanamo gouged his eyes with his fingers. Deghayes was never charged with any crime at Guantanamo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death of Abdul Wali</span> Afghan man killed in United States custody in 2003

Abdul Wali was an Afghan farmer who died in United States custody on June 21, 2003 at the age of 28. At the time of his death, he had been held for three days at the US base 10 miles (16 km) south of Asadabad, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on suspicion of involvement in a rocket attack on the same base, after voluntarily handing himself in. The local governor, Said Akbar, had told Wali to turn himself in so he could clear his name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khairullah Khairkhwa</span> Information Minister of Afghanistan since 2021

Khairullah Said Wali Khairkhwa is the Afghan Minister of Information and Culture and a former Minister of the Interior. After the fall of the Taliban government in 2001, he was held at the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camp in Cuba for 12 years. He was released in late May 2014 in a prisoner exchange that involved Bowe Bergdahl and the Taliban five. Press reports have referred to him as "Mullah" and "Maulavi", two different honorifics for referring to senior Muslim clerics.

Osama bin Laden, the founder and former leader of al-Qaeda, went into hiding following the start of the War in Afghanistan in order to avoid capture by the United States and/or its allies for his role in the September 11, 2001 attacks, and having been on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list since 1999. After evading capture at the Battle of Tora Bora in December 2001, his whereabouts became unclear, and various rumours about his health, continued role in al-Qaeda, and location were circulated. Bin Laden also released several video and audio recordings during this time.

Said Fazal Akbar was the first Governor of Kunar province in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. He was an ex-Mujahideen who was running a clothing store in Oakland, California when he was appointed Governor by President Hamid Karzai. His governorship is chronicled in the book by his son, Hyder Akbar, "Come Back to Afghanistan, A California Teenager's Story"

Maulvi Faqir Mohammed is an Islamist militant and, until March 2012, a deputy leader of the Pakistani Taliban umbrella group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. He was reported as killed on 5 March 2010 during a helicopter gunship attack on militants by the Pakistani military although he denied the reports as false. In July 2011, he resurfaced on the air broadcasting radio shows out of Afghanistan. He was captured in Afghanistan on 17 February 2013, and released by the Afghan Taliban in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes</span> Armed clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan since 1949

A series of occasional armed skirmishes and firefights have occurred along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border between the Afghan Armed Forces and the Pakistan Armed Forces since 1949. The latest round of hostilities between the two countries began in April 2007. Militants belonging to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar also use Afghanistan's territory to target Pakistani security personnel deployed along the border. The Diplomat says that the presence of terrorists belonging to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan on Afghan soil is the reason for sporadic shelling of Afghanistan's territory by Pakistani security forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistani Taliban</span> Islamist militant organization operating along the Durand Line

The Pakistani Taliban, formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan, is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, its current leader is Noor Wali Mehsud, who has publicly pledged allegiance to the Afghan Taliban. The Pakistani Taliban share a common ideology with the Afghan Taliban and have assisted them in the 2001–2021 war, but the two groups have separate operation and command structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muhammad Rahim al Afghani</span>

Muhammad Rahim is an Afghan who is held in captivity by the United States Government at Guantanamo Bay. He was born in eastern Afghanistan. Muhammad Rahim worked for an Afghan government committee that worked to eliminate opium poppies from the nation. He was forced to leave his job by the Taliban. In 1979, Rahim fled Afghanistan with his brother over the border of Pakistan. Their departure was triggered by the Soviet Union invasion into Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gul Rahman</span> Afghan victim of CIA torture

Gul Rahman was an Afghan man, suspected by the United States of being a militant, who was a victim of torture. He died in a secret CIA prison, or black site, located in northern Kabul, Afghanistan known as the Salt Pit. He had been captured October 29, 2002.

Omar Khalid Khorasani was a Pakistani militant and one of the founding members of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). In 2014, he formed his own splinter militant group called Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) and was ousted by the Mullah Fazlullah-led Taliban. The same year, JuA swore allegiance to Islamic State (ISIS), however, a year later JuA rejoined TTP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CIA black sites</span> Secret headquarters used by the CIA

CIA black sites refer to the black sites that are controlled by the CIA and used by the U.S. government in its War on Terror to detain enemy combatants.

On 16 April 2022, the Pakistani military conducted predawn airstrikes on multiple targets in Afghanistan's Khost and Kunar provinces. Afghan officials said the attacks killed at least 47 civilians and injured 23 others, mostly women and children. Most of the people killed had been displaced from North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, but the casualties in Kunar Province also included family members of a militant, according to locals. Initial reports described the attacks as either rocket strikes or aerial strikes carried out by a number of aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force, and Afghan officials claimed the operation was carried out by Pakistani military helicopters and jets. Pakistani officials initially denied Pakistan carried out the airstrikes, but Pakistani security officials later claimed the airstrikes involved drone strikes from inside Pakistani airspace, and that no aircraft were deployed. Some reports said the Pakistani airstrikes also targeted parts of Paktika Province.

References

  1. ↑ "Afghan official: Heart attack may not have killed prisoner". USA Today. Associated Press. June 19, 2004.
  2. 1 2 3 Bigg, Matthew (August 9, 2006). "CIA operative admitted killing Afghan prisoner". Capitol Hill Blue. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  3. 1 2 3 Jeffery, Clara (December 2005). "A Tale of Two Countries". Mother Jones . Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  4. ↑ "Americas: CIA worker is jailed over beating". BBC News. February 13, 2007. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  5. ↑ . NewsObserver.com. [ dead link ]
  6. ↑ "Come back to Afghanistan: a California teenager's story". LC Online Catalog. Library of Congress (lccn.loc.gov). Retrieved 2015-11-16.
  7. ↑ Martin, Charlotte (April 4, 2007). "One of three students released on bail after arson arrests". Yale Daily News . Archived from the original on 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
  8. ↑ O'Connor, Anahad; Kaplan, Thomas (April 5, 2007). "Prank or Statement? Flag-Burning Near Yale Has Campus Abuzz, and Puzzled". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-04.
  9. ↑ Martin, Charlotte (April 27, 2007). "Court rules on flag arson". Yale Daily News. Archived from the original on 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.