2. Previous Functions:
Afghan commander of the Combined Joint Interagency Task Force (CJIATF) 435. (20100915 -  )

3. Biodata:
Major General Marjan Shuja was born August 1, 1948, in Zazai District, Paktya Province, Afghanistan.  Marjan studied at Qala-e-Sharif primary school and he attended military school from sixth to 12th grade.

Marjan joined the Afghan National Army in 1967, serving as a platoon commander for the 4th Corps Tank Brigade in Pol-e-Charki and later as a company commander. In 1969, Marjan was stationed in Kabul for officer training.  He later served as a company commander and instructor for tank drivers, gunners and commanders.

Marjan attended Marshal Malinovsky Military Academy in Moscow from 1971 to 1975, earning a master of science degree.  Following his education, Marjan returned to Afghanistan and served at the Kabul Military Training Center as an officer-in-charge of tank repair from 1975-1990.

In 1990, Marjan was reassigned as Ministry of Defense deputy in charge of the technical department that oversaw weapons, ammunition, repair, contracts and planning.  He served there until the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, leading to a civil war, forced him to become a refugee in Pakistan in 1992.

Marjan returned to Afghanistan in early 2002 to work at the Ministry of Defense for rehabilitation, working closely with then-Maj. Gen. Karl Eikenberry to rebuild Afghanistan’s Army.  He later served as a Ministry of Defense deputy in charge of safekeeping of MOD property, creating deeds for the Afghan National Army to take ownership of thousands of square kilometers of land. Following this assignment, Marjan transferred to active standby to conduct general studies and take care of his family.

Marjan assumed his current duties as the Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435 Afghan Commander Sept. 15, 2010.

Marjan speaks Dari, Pashto and Russian.

Background:
Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435 is a task force created to control detention operations for the United States Department of Defense in Afghanistan. It was established by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in September 2009 to assume responsibility for U.S. detention operations from Combined Joint Task Force 82, including the care and custody of detainees at the Detention Facility at Bagram, in Parwan Province, oversight of detainee review processes, programs for the peaceful reintegration of detainees into society and coordination with other agencies and partners for the promotion of the rule of law in Afghanistan.

As part of its mission, JTF 435 trains and mentors the Afghan government to help improve detention operations throughout Afghanistan so these operations can be transitioned back to the Afghan government in accordance with all applicable international and national laws. JTF 435 also coordinates with other agencies such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and coalition partners.

CJIATF-435, in partnership with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and U.S. interagency and international partners, conducts detention, corrections, judicial sector and biometrics operations.  While promoting rule of law practices, CJIATF-435 works closely with the Afghan government toward the responsible transition of detention operations beginning January 2011.

CJIATF 435, headquartered at Camp Phoenix in Kabul, includes U.S. service members from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, as well as coalition partners and civilian members from the following agencies: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan.