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Mohammed Atash Edit Profile

educator philanthropist

Mohammed Nadir Atash is an Afghan-American educator, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and author

Background

M. Nadir Atash was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, the son of Afghan Army Issa Khan Noorestani.

Education

He attended The American University of Beirut, receiving a Bachelor of Surgery in Chemistry and came to the United States after the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. He went on to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Research at Florida State University.

Career

Following the attacks of 9/11 and the United States. invasion of Afghanistan, Atash returned to his country of birth to contribute to reconstruction efforts. After serving for three months as the Senior Adviser to the Ministry of Transport, Atash took a position as head of the country"s primary airline carrier, Ariana. During the rule of the Taliban, Ariana was used for narcotics trafficking and other terrorism-related activities, so Doctor Atash made efforts to implement modern systems of accounting and to make the airline safe for the annual hajj pilgrimage.

He managed to secure a large deal with Boeing for Ariana, then eventually returned to the United States where he resides with his family today.

Doctor Atash founded the Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce and the Nooristan Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to rebuilding rural Afghanistan.