New top official in Marja, Afghanistan, was convicted of stabbing stepson

Abdul Zahir Aryan, the new governor of Marja. (Post)

Zahir, the Marja official, was deported to Pakistan in 2003, according to U.S. officials in Afghanistan.

German officials said they could not confirm that Abdul Zahar is the same man who is now the top official in Marja.

"I have no knowledge or way of confirming that this is the same man," said Annette von Schmiedeberg, the spokeswoman for the Darmstadt prosecutors' office in Offenbach, near Frankfurt. Doering, who served as Zahar's attorney, said he had seen a photograph in the press of the new Marja official and expressed doubts it was his old client, although he said he could not be sure.

American officials could not confirm details of Zahir's case but said he served four years in prison for stabbing his stepson while living in Germany, before being deported to Pakistan.

His new role as the top official in Marja, however, is a more urgent priority than any concerns about his criminal record, according to U.S. military and civilian officials in Afghanistan.

A senior U.S. military official in southern Afghanistan said, "I don't think it is a big deal if the Afghan [government] is satisfied that he is the right guy. He is on the job now and already making a difference."

As the planning accelerated last fall in preparation for the military offensive, the governor of Helmand province, Gulab Mangal, selected Zahir to take over in Marja. He was considered a good choice because he owned land in Marja and elsewhere in Helmand, was a tribal elder and had worked in local government in the province.

Since Zahir has taken over, he has been thrust into a series of meetings with local elders, mullahs and residents. Maj. David Fennell, who leads the civil affairs team for one of the Marine battalions in Marja, said the local reaction to Zahir has been "definitely mixed."

"I think there's a respect there," he said. "But the people don't necessarily look at him as a local power broker."

Zahir said he hopes to have about 50 people eventually working in the Marja government, including representatives from the central ministries. His office has been approved for seven staff members -- including an administrative assistant, cook, maid, and driver, though for the moment he relies on U.S. and British civilian advisers, along with the Marines.

"I think things are going well. The people are happy," he said. "They have a new and honest government."

Bhatti, a special correspondent, reported from Berlin.