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Mahmood Ahmed
Lieutenant Colonel Mahmood was born in Eldoret (Kenya) in British East Africa in 1947. The family moved to Pakistan in early fifties when his father decided that there was no justification to live ...view moreLieutenant Colonel Mahmood was born in Eldoret (Kenya) in British East Africa in 1947. The family moved to Pakistan in early fifties when his father decided that there was no justification to live in a foreign land when they now had a country of their own. He was commissioned in an Air Defence Regiment of Pakistan Army in 1971 and saw action with his regiment in the 1971 Indo-Pak War. During his normal service tenure, he held different appointments and did various courses and also attended Air Defence Gunnery Staff Course in Malir.
In 1984, while serving in an air defence unit in Kahuta (a small town near Islamabad which houses some nuclear assets of Pakistan), he was posted to the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence). He remained there for more than eight years continuously. In the ISI he was posted to the Afghan Bureau which was supporting the Afghan Jihad at that time. It was here when the author saw firsthand the plight of the Afghan people and the destruction and misery brought by the Soviets on Afghanistan that transformed his thinking and things changed for him and many others like him. The no-nonsense and serious mission-oriented atmosphere of the ISI, the confidence reposed in them by their superiors, and the free hand given to them had changed these men who were considered as average officers by the army.
In 1986, he was selected by the ISI as in charge of a small training team that was being sent to the USA to get training on Stinger missiles. On his return, he was made in charge of the Stinger section, which was responsible for imparting training to Afghan Mujahids (freedom fighters). In addition, this section was also given the task of planning and fighting the air war of Afghanistan. He was the witness to and saw the effects of this weapon and the devastation it caused to the Soviet/Afghan air power to an extent that it became untenable for the Soviets to stay in Afghanistan. His services in this regard were also recognised by the Government of Pakistan.view less