Atta Muhammad Nur
Atta Muhammad Nur | |
---|---|
Governor of Balkh | |
In office 2004 – January 25, 2018 | |
Preceded by | Habibullah Habib |
Succeeded by | Mohammad Ishaq Rahgozar[1] |
Personal details | |
Born | 1964 (age 59–60) Tajik |
Atta Muhammad Nur (also spelled Ata Mohammed Noor;
When the Taliban government took power in late 1996, Noor served as a commander in the United Front (Northern Alliance) under Ahmad Shah Massoud against the Taliban. He led operations in the Balkh area.[5] In 2004, President Hamid Karzai appointed him as the governor of Balkh province.[3] He has been described by The Economist as being "immensely wealthy."[6] He was removed from the position of Provincial Governor by President Ashraf Ghani in January 2018.[7]
During the
Early life
Atta Muhammad Nur, was born in 1964 in
Mujahideen and Northern Alliance
Atta Muhammad Nur joined the mujahideen fighting the Soviet presence in Afghanistan in the 1980s[9] and became affiliated with the Jamiat-e Islami party. By 1992, he had become one of the most powerful Mujahideen commanders in Northern Afghanistan.[10]
Following the fall of
When the Taliban took power in late 1997, Atta Noor served as a commander in the anti-Taliban
Islamic Republic
After the establishment of the
Noor has married once and has five sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Khalid Noor, graduated from
Governor of Balkh province
In Late 2004, Atta was appointed governor of Balkh Province by
Governor Atta Mohammad Noor supported Karzai's main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, in the August 2009 presidential election.[19]
Atta Mohammad Noor, is widely recognized as the main source of political power in the Province, and has exercised a high degree of control over politics in Balkh. He has used that influence to grow rich through business deals during his time in power.
Nationally, the Province's administration was well regarded [according to whom?]. Consequently, it received additional funding and positions through the civil service priority restructuring program and some payments from the Ministry of Counter-Narcotics through the U.S.-funded Good Performance Initiative.[22] Historically, his local political strategy has been to dominate the Province using informal power, rules, and networks. His reputation as a strongman who doesn't tolerate opposition in any form has made him very influential in the area. While his power base does not lend itself to a rule based democracy, given Afghanistan's history of weak central power and its limited resources, the form of governance represented by Atta may be the best compromise at present in Afghanistan [according to whom?].
Opponents of Atta view him as a corrupt power figure whose loyalty from the populace is motivated more by fear than adoration. The President appoints the country's 34 governors, but many believed that President Karzai was too weak to remove Governor Atta. Karzai's opposition raised concerns of violence and rebellion from the populace if the central government were to attempt to reign in Atta's power. Governor Atta Mohammad Noor himself boldly asserts that he will decide whether he remains governor of Balkh Province, not Kabul.[4] Indeed, in 2014 the current Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, fired all 34 Afghan provincial governors, but Atta repeatedly refused to give up the role.[23] He was removed from the position of Provincial Governor by President Ashraf Ghani in January 2018.[7]
Although largely supported by the U.S., Atta has publicly spoken out against the U.S. exit strategy from Afghanistan. Atta is vehemently opposed to bringing the Taliban back into negotiations and opposes reconciliation with his former archenemies. Additionally, Atta does not support any permanent American bases in Afghanistan, and reiterates his regional loyalty. Speculation exists that Atta's colorful rhetoric may be linked to the possibility of him running for president, or at the least seeking the leadership of his local political party.[24]
He and Dostum fled across the Amu Darya when the Taliban advanced on to Mazar-i-Sharif on August 14, 2021.[8] In October 2021, Ata, Dostum, and others including Yunus Qanuni and Abdul Rasul Sayyaf formed the Supreme Council of National Resistance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in opposition to the new Taliban regime.[25]
See also
References
- ^ a b Alim, Mohammad Haroon (6 October 2020). "Government Appoints New Governor For Balkh Province".
- ^ "Afghan Governor Himself Defends Indian Consulate And Wins Our Collective Respect".
- ^ a b Kramer, Andrew E. (February 18, 2018). "Second Afghan Governor Defies Kabul Order to Resign, Adding to U.S. Headache". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
- ^ a b Nelson, Soraya. "Ex-Warlord Helps Afghan Province Make Progress". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- ^ a b Constable, Pamela (2006) "Top Prosecutor Targets Afghanistan's Once-Untouchable Bosses" The Washington Post 23 November 2006, p. A-22
- ^ Afghanistan’s presidential election: Stuffed, economist.com.
- ^ a b Ihsas, Zabihullah (25 January 2018). "New Governor of Balkh".
- ^ a b "Afghan militia leaders Atta Noor, Dostum escape 'conspiracy'". Reuters. 2021-08-14. Retrieved 2021-08-15.
- ^ a b c Mukhopadhyay, Dipali (August 2009). "Warlords As Bureaucrats: The Afghan Experience" (PDF). Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
- ISBN 978-1-85065-932-7.
- ^ Giustozzi, p.107
- ^ Giustozzi, p.149
- ^ Giustozzi, p.168
- ^ Karon, Tony (Nov 9, 2001). "Rebels: Mazar-i-Sharif is Ours". Time. Archived from the original on 30 October 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
- ^ Giustozzi, p.150
- ^ Giustozzi, p.151
- ^ Williams, Brian Glyn (May 5, 2005). "Rashid Dostum: America's Secular Ally In The War On Terror". Terrorism Monitor. 1 (6) – via The Jamestown Foundation.
- ^ Giustozzi, p.156
- ^ Cross, Tony (16 Nov 2009). "Northern powerbroker calls for Abdullah supporters in government". Radio France Internationale. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
- ^ Gall, Carlotta (May 17, 2010). "In Afghanistan's North, Ex-Warlord Offers Security". NY Times. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- ^ Mukhopadhyay, Dipali (August 2009). "Warlords As Bureaucrats: The Afghan Experience" (PDF). Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Middle East Program. 101. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- ^ Fishstein, Paul (November 2010). "Winning Hearts and Minds? Examining the Relationship between Aid and Security in Afghanistan's Balkh Province" (PDF). Feinstein International Center. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- ^ Sukhanyar, Jawad; Nordland, Rod (April 2, 2016). "'They Cannot Remove Me by Force': A Strongman on Afghan Infighting". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ Hersh, Joshua (April 3, 2012). "Atta Muhammad Noor, Afghan Governor, Criticizes U.S. Exit Plan". Huffington Post. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- ^ "Islamic Emirate Reacts to Newly-Formed 'Resistance Council'".
Further reading
- Mukhopadhyay, Dipali. "Disguised warlordism and combatanthood in Balkh: the persistence of informal power in the formal Afghan state." Conflict, Security & Development 9, no. 4 (2009): 535–564.
External links
- King, Laura (January 9, 2010). "In Afghanistan, a governor who answers to no one". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
- Clark, Kate (30 June 2005). "In the shadow of the gun". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2015-07-06. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
- Gall, Carlotta (November 13, 2003). "For an Ancient Afghan Town, No End to War, With Rival Generals Now Clashing". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
- Ustad Atta Mohammad Noor visits elementary school in Seattle