Noor Mohammad Taraki

(1913-1979) Noor Mohammad Taraki was born in Paghman district of Kabul in a Pashtun family On July 15th 1913.

Nur Mohammad Taraki attended school in Bombay India and studied English while he was working as a clerk. He continued his education at Kabul University and got his bachelor degree then he joined Columbia University in New York and received his masters. Later he joined Harvard University and achieved his PhD in political economics. Taraki was an important figure of the Khalq faction of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA)party which was a communist party. In 1978 Taraki become the President of Afghanistan after killing Mohammad Daud Khan and his family.

Taraki served as General Secretary of the PDPA party, prime minister and as the communist president of Afghanistan. While he the president, his government was divided between himself and Deputy Prime Minister Hafizullah Amin who both were in the Khalq faction running against the Parcham leaders such as Babrak Karmal and Dr. Najibullah. Eventually, on September 14, 1979, the shared deal between Taraki and Amin was ended and Taraki was killed by his deputy prime minister Hafizullah Amin.

When Taraki became the president, he totaly changed the Afghanistan flag to a solid red background. He embedded the symbol of the 'Khalq' faction in the middle of the two wheat branches and placed it on the top right side of the Afghanistan flag as an emblem.

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