Atiqullah Baryalai
General Atiqullah Baryalai (Persian: ; born 1965) is a key military figure as Lieutenant General. He served as the deputy Defense Minister of Afghanistan from 2002 to 2004 and was a senior commander of the North-Eastern Front; playing a critical role in the fight against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. He also headed the successful Disarmament Demobilization and Re-integration Commission (DDR), the Revival and Rebuilding of National Army Commission and the Reform Committee of the Ministry of Defense. General Atiqullah Baryalai was one of the key commanders Northern Alliance; he worked closely and extensively with its leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud, in the resistance against the 1980s Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the continuous fight against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. He is a Tajik from Panjshir Province. General Baryalai studied at prestigious Royal College of Defence Studies in London. He was educated at Naderia High School, the National Military Academy of Afghanistan (BA, 1994) and University of East Anglia (MA International Relations and Development Studies, 2012). References 1965 births Living people Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Alumni of the University of East Anglia Afghan military personnel Afghan Tajik people Afghan military officers