Among the many people who have entered the current Presidential race, one of them is a familiar face: Dr. Abdullah Abdullah. A trusted long-time advisor to our national hero, Martyr Ahmad Shah Massoud, Dr. Abdullah served as Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister after the collapse of the Taliban regime.

Dr. Abdullah has earned the respect and admiration of world leaders, and his own people, as a voice of moderation and consensus. He has consistently worked for peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan, as well as advocating the reform of government institutions. Dr. Abdullah says that there can be no greater priority than regaining the trust of the Afghan people, who have waited too long for a responsible government, one that puts their needs first.

For voters in Afghanistan who may not be familiar with his personal and political accomplishments, Dr. Abdullah’s Campaign team has provided this review of his life.

Dr. Abdullah is the son of Ghulam Muhayuddine Khan from Kandahar province, who served as a Senator during the last years of Afghanistan’s monarchy. Dr. Abdullah was born into a devout Muslim family in 1960 in the city of Kabul. He completed his elementary education at the Ghazi Mohammad Ayub Khan School, and went on to graduate from Naderia High School in 1976.

In 1977 Dr. Abdullah entered Kabul University’s School of Medicine, where he completed his training in ophthalmology in 1983. He subsequently served as a specialist at the Noor Eye Hospital in Kabul. In 1984, as Soviet occupation forces tried to tighten their grip on Afghanistan, Dr. Abdullah went to Pakistan to care for Afghan refugee families at the Sayed Jamal-U-Din Hospital. The following year, he joined the Afghan Freedom Fighters and served as the caretaker in charge of health affairs for the Panjshir Valley resistance front. It was there that Dr. Abdullah became an advisor and close companion to the country’s national hero, Martyr Ahmad Shah Massoud.

From the early days of resistance to the liberation of Kabul in 1992, Dr. Abdullah’s relentless efforts and devotion to the cause of independence for the Afghan people earned him national recognition. From 1992 until 1996 he served as the spokesperson for the Defense Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and subsequently served as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Abdullah served as the caretaker of the Foreign Ministry for the officially recognized government-in-exile of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from 1999 until the collapse of the Taliban.

After the Taliban’s exit from Kabul, Dr. Abdullah continued as the Foreign Minister of the Transitional government of Afghanistan. Approved by the Grand Assembly (Loya Jirga), and within the first elected government, he continued as Foreign Minister until 2006.

Dr. Abdullah is married and has three daughters and one son. He is fluent in Dari, Pashto, and English, and is proficient in Arabic and French.