Mohammed Asif Safi

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Mohammed Asif Safi محمد آصف صافي
Personal details
Born	1923 Alikhel District, Laghman Province, Afghanistan
Died	July 26, 2009 (aged 85–86)
Resting place	Sacramento, California
Nationality	Afghan
Occupation	Army General in the Afghan National Army
Known for	Military service
Awards	Medal of Honour
Military service
Allegiance	Afghanistan
Branch/service	Royal Afghan Army
Years of service	1944-1978
Rank	General

General Mohammed Asif Safi (1923 — July 26, 2009) (Pashto:تور نجنرال اركا نحرب محمد آصف صافي) was an Army General in the Afghan National Army during King Zahir Shah's rule in Afghanistan, and later during the 1970s era of President Mohammed Daoud Khan.

Early life and education[edit]

General Mohammed Asif Safi Khan was born in Laghman Province in eastern Afghanistan. His father, Mohammed Ayub Khan (also known as Malik Saylob), was a local Malik of Ali Khel district ^{[citation needed]}. At age four, Asif Khan attended Afghanistan's National Army school (Pashto: Arbi Shwanzai) ^{[citation needed]}. In 1944, he graduated from Afghanistan's National Army University (Pashto: Arbi Pohantoon) with highest honor. In 1945, he went to India for higher education, and attended an Army Institute in the city of Ambala ^{[citation needed]}. In 1955, he went to Turkey where he obtained a master's degree, and went again in 1959 to obtain a doctorate degree ^{[citation needed]}. He attended the Turkish War College of Command (Turkish: Harp Akademileri Komutanlığı), the same Army Institute as attended by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.^[1]

Career[edit]

Asif Khan did not affiliate with any political movement or party in Afghanistan. In 1962, Asif Khan was appointed as Commander for Officer's University of Heytyaat ^{[citation needed]}. In 1967, he was appoint as Commander and Professor at Officer's Higher University (Dari ^{[citation needed]}: Course of Haa, Haa being short for Haali = Higher), which he also founded ^{[citation needed]}. During this time hundreds of Army Officers were trained under him, and he established himself a unique position in Afghan Army, considered one of the most educated and influential of the army officers ^{[citation needed]}. Based on his qualification and the respect that he earned in Army, Asif Khan was promoted to the first rank of army General (Pashto: بريت جنرال Breet General) in 1970 ^{[citation needed]}.

In 1973, General Safi was appointed as the Commander of Air Defense at Qala-i-Jangi of Kabul Province ^{[citation needed]}. In 1974, he was appointed as the Director of Army's Ministry of Education (Pashto: Taleem-O-Tarbia) ^{[citation needed]}. In 1975, he was appointed as the Commander of Army's 12th Infantry in Gardēz (Dari: گردیز, Pashto: ګردېز), the capital of Paktiā province of Afghanistan ^{[citation needed]}. In 1976, he was appointed as the Commander of Army's 20th Infantry in Nahrin, a town in Baghlan Province of north-eastern Afghanistan ^{[citation needed]}. Also during this year he was promoted to the rank of the second rank of army General (Pashto; توران جنرال Tooran General) ^{[citation needed]}.

Establishment of First Army Officer’s Academy[edit]

One of General Safi's greatest achievement and service to Afghan National Army was the establishment of the first Officer's Academy in the history of Afghanistan known as Course-e-Haa (short for Course e Haali Afsaran meaning Academy of Higher Education for Officers) ^{[citation needed]}. Before this course, Afghanistan's army only had Harbi Shwanzai (Army School of 1 through 12K), and Harbi Pohantun (Army University which offered 4-year program), which meant that Master Degree program were not offered for army officers ^{[citation needed]}. Most army officer, including Safi himself, would travel to India, United States, Turkey, and Russia, to obtain higher army education ^{[citation needed]}. Safi was the first army officer to obtain a Doctorate Degree from Turkey ^{[citation needed]}, and therefore, had academic credentials to issue a Master Degree for army officers ^{[citation needed]}. Given his experience of commanding and teaching at Officer's University of Heytyaat (Army Reserve University), Army University (Harbi Pohantun), and Army High School (Harbi Shwanzai), Safi, in 1967, established the Course-e-Haa (Officer's Academy for Higher Education) ^{[citation needed]}. The Diploma offered by Course-e-Haa was equivalent to that of a Master Degree. Hence, for the first time in the history of Afghanistan's armed forces, since its modern era establishment by Amir Shir Ali Khan during the 1860s, Afghanistan's army officer could obtain higher education in Afghanistan instead of travelling to other countries ^{[citation needed]}. Hundreds of Afghan army officers, including many prominent figures, attended and graduated from Course-e-Haa ^{[citation needed]}.

During his time as general, he had received medals from Marshal Sardar Shah Wali Khan Ghazi, King Zahir Shah, and President Daoud Khan ^{[citation needed]}. General Safi had traveled numerous times on behalf of Defense Ministry to other countries for weapon purchases and signing defense contracts ^{[citation needed]}. He accompanied King Zahir Shah on an official state visit to the Soviet Union in 1967 ^{[citation needed]}. General Safi was the Security in Charge (Pashto: Yaawar) to many foreign dignitary and heads of state visiting Afghanistan, including Iran's prime minister Amir-Abbas Hoveida’s official visit to Afghanistan ^{[citation needed]}.

Safi's biography in honor of his service to Afghanistan has been written in the Defense Ministry ^{[citation needed]}. His work as founder and leading instructor of Course-e-Haa, Air Defense, and for translating numerous military books and articles from Turkish to Pashto and Dari was recognized even during the communist regime of Afghanistan ^{[citation needed]}.

Political turmoil of Afghanistan[edit]

General Safi was forced out of Army since he did not assist Mohammed Daoud Khan during his successful coup d'etat in 1973 against king Mohammed Zahir Shah ^{[citation needed]}. Eventually President Daoud Khan met with Safi and acknowledged his service for Afghanistan rather than the disposed monarchy, and reappointing him ^{[citation needed]}.

In 1973, shortly after Daoud Khan's rise to Presidency, a coup attempt, which may have been planned before Daoud Khan took power, was subdued shortly after his Presidency ^{[citation needed]}. Former prime minister Mohammad Hashim Maiwandwal (Pashto: محمد هاشم میوندوال) was arrested in this plot ^{[citation needed]}. Whether Maiwandwal was in on the plot from the start is open to question. This led to the arrest of Maiwandwal and 20 others, including General Safi, who was jailed for two weeks before released ^{[citation needed]}. President Daoud Khan personally apologized to Safi for the arrest and for forcing him out of the Army ^{[citation needed]}. Safi cautioned and advised Daoud Khan during this meeting of the threat of the rising communist movement, and specifically named Babrak Karmal as one of the members of this movement ^{[citation needed]}. Maiwandwal was supposedly killed by the Parcham (Pashto: پرچم meaning "Banner" or "Flag") wing of the communist party (who controlled Interior Ministry) during his custody ^{[citation needed]}.

General Safi was in Nahrin when he heard news of the Saur Revolution in 1978, unable to bring his infantry to Kabul to assist President Daoud Khan. After his return to Kabul, Safi was put under house arrest by the new communist regime for a short period of time, and later on forced to an honorable retirement^{[citation needed]}.

Post-service life[edit]

During the communist regime, General Safi was put under house arrest twice during President Nur Muhammad Taraki and then Hafizullah Amin. He was not harmed because he was not associated with any political movement. Following the outbreak of the Soviet-Afghan War, General Safi developed medical depression. He was invited to many government sponsored events but Safi refused to attend, except those related to Afghanistan's military history and culture ^{[citation needed]}.

In 1986, when Dr. Mohammad Najibullah became president, some freedom of movement and expression was restored in Afghanistan. However, security was constantly destabilizing during this time.

General Safi did attend a Loya Jirga under President Najibullah ^{[citation needed]}. The Defense Ministry eventually honored Safi's service by putting his name and biography officially as the leading instructor of Course-e-Haa and Air Defense ^{[citation needed]}. Also during this period Safi was given a diplomatic passport and all his travel restrictions were removed. Safi left for India in 1989 before settling in United States in 1997. General Safi died of natural causes on July 26, 2009. Safi's grave site is located in Sacramento Muslim Cemetery^[3] in northern California. He left behind his second wife and twelve children.

References[edit]