General Khodaidad Hazara is the former Minister of Counter Narcotics of Afghanistan, as well as being the former commander of the Afghan Army's 2nd Infantry Division and the Afghan Commando Forces' 444th Commando Battalion under the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
29 Facts About Khodaidad
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Khodaidad was born to an ethnic Hazara family in Shahristan District, Daykundi in central Afghanistan, the son of Gholam Ali, a farmer.
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Khodaidad completed his primary education at Shahristan Primary School in 1967.
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However, due to his hard work General Khodaidad managed to obtain a place at Kabul to study.
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Khodaidad received his military high school diploma from Kabul Military High School, in 1972.
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Khodaidad completed his diploma with high marks and was one of the few selected, bright students to go to India to study at the National Defence Academy, located in Khadakwasla, near Pune, Maharashtra, India, which one of the most prestigious Academy in the world, in 1972.
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Khodaidad studied at the NDA for three and a half years.
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Khodaidad graduated from the National Defence Academy -India successfully and afterwards joined the Indian Military Academy, located in Dehradun, where he studied until 1977.
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Khodaidad was the first army officer from the Sharistan district of Daikondi province in the Afghan armed forces.
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Khodaidad was a member of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan-Khalq.
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In 1984, during the government of Afghan President Babrak Karmal, Khodaidad became the first officer from the Hazara people ever to achieve the rank of a general in the Afghan National Army.
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Khodaidad managed to convince several mujahideen factions, groups and individuals in the central and northeastern zones of the country to enter the reconciliation and reintegration process.
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Khodaidad recalls his time of meeting and discussing with mujahideen leaders hence the reason why the central zones of Afghanistan witnessed peace and harmony in the late 1980s.
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Khodaidad had positive connections with local mujahideen leaders and commanders in areas under his sphere of influence including Wardak, Ghazni, Bamyan, Urazgan, Logar and parts of Paktia and Paktika provinces.
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Khodaidad encouraged the various different mujahideen from various tribes to join the peace process and work towards the unity of Afghanistan.
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Khodaidad continued to keep his non-alliance remaining neutral and did not support any particular factions, groups or individuals.
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Khodaidad tried to keep his good relationship with the people of Afghanistan both living in Afghanistan and outside.
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Khodaidad became a member of the Emergency Loya Jirga of Afghanistan after the collapse of the Taliban regime.
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In 2004, Khodaidad was appointed by Hamid Karzai as Deputy Minister of Counter Narcotics and Member of National Security Council of Afghanistan and shortly after receiving parliamentary approval in 2007, he became the Minister of Counter Narcotics until March 2010.
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In President Karzai's cabinet, Khodaidad was amongst the few ministers who had maintained their nonalignment with any faction or party in Afghanistan.
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In 2013 General Khodaidad was selected as the first vice president candidate to Hedayat Amin Arsala for the upcoming presidential elections of Afghanistan in 2014.
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General Khodaidad was a member of the consultative Loya Jirga of Afghanistan to agree the Bilateral Security Agreement between Afghanistan and the United States in November 2013.
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Between 2017 and 2019 Khodaidad was appointed as the Inspector General and member of High Oversight Board of the Afghan armed forces in the Office of the National Security Council, Afghanistan in the presidential palace.
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Khodaidad is honoured and perceived by the Afghan people, former colleagues including army officers and generals and many former mujahideen foes as a courageous and distinguished soldier who showed commitment and gallantry in the battlefield.
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Khodaidad has received over fifty-two gallantry medals from the Afghan government.
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Khodaidad received a Blue prize from the IMA in 1977.
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Khodaidad can speak over six languages which includes Dari, Pushto, Russian, Hindi, Urdu and English.
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Khodaidad is married to a teacher, and has two sons and four daughters.
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Khodaidad's children were educated in London and are in highly established, professional jobs.