Posts Tagged ‘Omar Samad’

Omar Samad on Mullah Omar’s public relations

By Michael Petrou - Thursday, September 8, 2011 - 1 Comment

Omar Samad, Afghanistan’s former ambassador to Canada, tackles Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar’s recent letter:

For most Afghans though, the biggest concern remains Taliban ties to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI), long accused of interference in Afghan affairs through different proxies. It is difficult to imagine a change in the widespread Afghan mistrust towards Pakistan’s ruling apparatus as long as the ISI continues to provide sanctuary and logistical support to militants, and exercise command-and-control authority through rogue elements over key militant networks. Continue…

  • Omar Samad leaves Canada, after five years as Afghanistan's ambassador

    By Michael Petrou - Monday, May 25, 2009 at 12:24 PM - 0 Comments

    Omar Samad, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Canada, is leaving this week after almost five years in Canada to become his country’s ambassador to France. My interview with him, on the eve of his departure, can be read here.

  • The Macleans.ca Interview: Omar Samad

    By Michael Petrou - Friday, May 22, 2009 at 12:46 PM - 2 Comments

    As Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Canada gets set to move to France, he reflects on the mission in Khandahar and his relationship with the Harper government

    The Macleans.ca Interview: Omar SamadFor many Canadians, Omar Samad has been the most visible face of Afghanistan ever since he was posted here as Ambassador in September 2004. Born in Kabul, he fled Afghanistan after the Soviet occupation began in 1979 and settled in the United States, but he remained actively involved in Afghan politics from abroad. Following 9/11 and the subsequent overthrow of the Taliban, he returned to Afghanistan to join the new government’s Foreign Ministry. He is leaving Canada this month to become Afghanistan’s new ambassador to France.

    M: When the attacks happened on September 11, did you have an idea of what they would mean for Afghanistan?
    A:     I happened to be living less than a mile away from the Pentagon and was at home when the plane hit. I felt the shock of it. Within an hour or two, I was on the phone with some Afghans, including one of President Karzai’s brothers, Qayoom. We assumed that this was al-Qaeda related and then concluded that if it was al-Qaeda related, it is going to be a turnabout for Afghanistan and may signify the end of the Taliban. It turned out to be true. I decided that this was a momentous historic shift for my country, and this was the time to be there and to serve in any way possible. On December 22, 2001, I was back in Kabul.

    M: How big of a decision was that for you to leave what had been your home?
    A:     It was a heavy decision, but one that was very simple to make. I felt that this was the natural thing to do. Afghanistan needed people like myself. And I had invested so much of my time and energy–during the Soviet occupation, the post-Communist period, the Taliban occupation of the country–trying to promote the cause of Afghanistan and also be an advocate for it. Continue…

From Macleans