WarGuy follows my journey from Afghanistan to the United States—what war does to families, how identity gets reshaped by conflict, and what it takes to rebuild. At the same time, it shows how pressure can shape leadership and how hard lessons can become purpose. Because this story is personal, it connects directly to Rise to Peace: research, education, and mentorship built for long-term change.

Why it’s here

Through Rise to Peace, I’ve built a worldwide network and mentored 600+ professionals across 34 countries. More importantly, the work stays practical: career direction, leadership skills, and staying sharp under pressure. As a result, the mission and the memoir strengthen each other—story on one side, work on the other.

Read an excerpt

War killed my family—then it recruited me.

I was born into a war that never ended, only changed uniforms. The Cold War didn’t stay on TV—it showed up at our door. One uncle was killed by the Soviets. Four more uncles and a cousin were killed by Hezb-e-Islami. When I was nine, I watched my last uncle, Ghulam, get shot in front of me. Years later, the Taliban took another cousin.

In the 1990s, Kabul became rockets and rubble. Our home was destroyed. When the Taliban rose in 1996, we ran to the mountains. After 9/11, American B-52s lit up the sky while my father fought on the ground as a Northern Alliance commander. At sixteen, I joined U.S. forces—hunting the same terrorists who hunted my family.

I made it to America, became a federal employee, and worked on peace from inside the system that helped shape my birthland’s fate. Then 2021 hit. America pulled out. The Taliban walked back into Kabul. And my family—who had risked everything—was left behind. So I moved. I led. And I got them out before the gates closed.

WarGuy is a true story of war, betrayal, survival, and the kind of will you only learn when life gives you no other choice.

Why buy WarGuy

If you’ve only seen war as headlines, politics, or “breaking news,” this book brings you back to the part people skip: the families. Still, it’s not only pain—it’s also what people do next.

So if this story hits you, take the next step: read the full memoir, share it with someone who needs it, and keep the truth moving. In the end, stories change people—and people change outcomes.

Author bio

Ahmad Shah Mohibi is an American entrepreneur, author, and founder of Rise to Peace. Born in Afghanistan, at 16 he joined U.S. forces in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. He later moved to the United States and worked as a federal employee in national-security roles.

Today, he builds ventures and partnerships across the U.S. and the Middle East, leads philanthropic work through the Mohibi Foundation, and hosts The WarGuy Show. In addition, he appears across media and global audiences to speak on international affairs, the human cost of war, leadership under pressure, and turning adversity into opportunity—drawing on his work through Rise to Peace.

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