Dartmouth Events

Student Reception, 5:00 – 6:00 PM, Rockefeller Class of 1930 Room

Main Event, 7:00 – 8:00 PM, Filene Auditorium

The Dartmouth Political Union welcomes U.S. Marine Corps Captain Omer S. Rafiq to discuss the crisis of moral leadership surrounding the withdrawal of United States troops from Afghanistan. The event will be live-streamed at dartgo.org/omerrafiq and recorded on The Dartmouth Political Union's YouTube. Register for the Student Reception at dartgo.org/rafiqreception. 

Speaker Biography: Omer Rafiq is a Captain in the United States Marine Corps Reserves – currently serving at Special Operations Command – Central in Tampa, Florida. He enlisted in the reserve component of the Marine Corps in August 2010. Following initial training he deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Commissioned as an infantry officer in 2016, he deployed across the globe to Europe, Asia, Middle East, and East Africa. Most recently, he was one of two U.S. Department of Defense officials, on the ground in Port of Sudan, supporting the evacuation of U.S. and allied nations’ citizens from Sudan amid the civil war.

During the evacuation of Afghanistan in 2021, Omer served as Aide de Camp to Commanding General of Joint Task Force – Crisis Response, the unit that oversaw all evacuation operations in Kabul. Following the collapse of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, he was reassigned as a Special Evacuations Coordinator. During this period, his actions contributed to the successful evacuation of more than 124,000 evacuees belonging to 24 partner nations. From 14 August to 30 August 2021, Omer led a series of ground force elements to respond to multiple breaches in the security perimeter of the airport, resulting in the safeguarding of military aircraft and critical infrastructure. While assigned to the intelligence directorate, he deciphered more than 72 hours of intercepted communication between unknown actors and conducted over 24 hours of surveillance in areas of interest to rule out potential violent extremist activity. During the entirety of the operation, he led a series of clandestine contact teams to extract American citizens and other high-risk personnel, directly resulting in the evacuation of 675 personnel. On 26 August 2021, following the detonation of the improvised explosive device at Abbey Gate, Omer led a quick reaction force to concentrate additional combat power at the blast site, enabling an accelerated evacuation of critically wounded to receive advanced medical treatment.