Abdul Rachid Dostom

Abdul Rachid Dostom (born in 1954) is an Afghan lord of the war. He is the main leader of the Uzbek community in Afghanistan. Dostom is the chief of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan. During years, it was one of the principal partisans of the Communist government of the Democratic republic of Afghanistan supported by the USSR.

Dostom was born in Khvajeh Do Kuh, in Afghanistan. In 1970, it starts to work in a refinery of State to Sheberghan, in the province of Jowzjan, where it takes part in trade-union activities. It joined the Afghan army in 1978, and fights the moudjahidines in the years 1980. In 1992, it forms a coalition with Ahmed Shah Massoud, the Alliance of North, to fight Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. The Taliban S take Kabul in 1996, forcing Dostom to withdraw itself with Mazar-e-Charif. When its second in command joined the Talibans in 1993, Dostom left Afghanistan for Turkey.

Soviéto-Afghan war

Whereas the government started to arm the personnel with the refineries of Pétrole and of Gaz (creating the " thus; defense groups of the révolution"), it was encouraged to engage, have regard to its military formation. Following the aggravation of the conflict, its group was deployed in the rural areas around Sheberghan, under the supervision of the Ministry for the national security.

In the middle of the years 1980, its group increases, reaching the manpower of a company at least in 1987, and that of a regiment - regiment 734 - in 1988. Whereas its unit had recruited through the area of Jowzjan and had of this fact a relatively broad base, many men and chiefs of his troop of origin came from the native village from Dostom, Khoja Dukoh, and then represented the heart of this unit. It will be the same when it is reconstituted after 2001.

It leaves the army after the purging of Pachramis, and goes back there to the beginning of the Soviet invasion . It orders there a battalion of militia which became a regiment and was finally incorporated in the defense forces under the name of " 53è division of infanterie" , but answering directly the orders of President Mohammad Najibullah.Il joined the " then; Ministry for the Safety of Etat" and takes the command of unit 374 in Jowzjan.

During the Eighties it defends the Democratic republic of Afghanistan (communist) against Moujahidin supported by the the United States. Although simple regional commander it largely improved - of its own boss - the militia which it ordered.

The Jowzjani militia, as it was made call, was one of rare to be used apart from its area of origin. It was deployed with Kandahar in 1988 after the withdrawal of the Soviet forces. Dostom also supported the communist reforms in Afghanistan at the time of Mikhaïl Gorbatchev.

April 18th, 1992, he revolts against the government of President Najibullah and is combined with Ahmed Shah Massoud. Together they take Kabul, the Afghan capital. It orders the prinicpale militia in Kabul which évincé Najibullah, giving place to episodes of kidnapping, plundering and of combat.

Afghan civil war

In 1994, Dostom again changes camp while being combined with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, during a new head office of Kabul, this time against the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani and Massoud.

In 1996, following the small channel off the Taliban and to their capture off Herat and Kabul, Dostum realigned himself with Rabbani against the Taliban. General Along with Mohammed Fahim and Ismail Khan, Dostum was one off three factional leaders that comprised the Afghan Northern Alliance. Facing captures and death by Taliban forces, Dostum fled to Turkey ace year exiles.

General Malik, who has off subordinate Dostum, revolted against Dostum in May 1997 and joined hands with the Taliban. Much similar to other northern alliance groups, Dostum also had infighting within his group. Differences between Dostum and Malik over power had reached the height in which Malik decided to assist the Taliban in Mazari-Sharif to topple Dostum. Dostum fled the country and escaped to Turkey, thus leaving the power in Malik' S hands. By this time, the Taliban had gathered thousands off troops in Mazar, At Malik' S insistence for help. However, now that Dostum had left, Malik switched sides again and obtained the assistance off the Hezbe Wahdat. Thus Malik handed thousands off Taliban, many in their teens, over to the Hezbe Wahdat. Over six to eight thousand Talibs lost to their lives due to Malik' S betrayal.

With few years later, the Taliban finally managed to overrun Malik' S group. Malik first escaped to permanent Iran for sanctuary and later choose to make Washington DC his residence. Later Malik ounce again left Washington and is currently believed to Be living room in Iran.

Abdul Rashid Dostum returned from his exiles in Turkey in the April off 2001. Masood had funded Dostum to as open and has Western face in has campaign against the Taliban. In November off 2001 and against the wishes off the CIA (who had Massood one to their payroll goal did not Dostum trust) has TEAM including Johnny Micheal Spann landed to set up communications in the Dariya Suf. With few hours later 23 men off ODA 595 landed to begin the war.

Dostum worked closely with has special forces ODA (documented by Robert Young Pelton in National Geographic Adventure article " The Legend off Heavy D and the Boys". Mike Spann was to Be the first combat casualty off the war and over 120 Afghan were killed along with all goal 86 off the foreign fighters. This battle is documented in the BBC/CNN " production; House off War".

Dostum served ace has government deputy defense minister for national Karzai in in Kabul.

In November off 2002, Atta and the Tajik elements began to spread rumors butt has massacre to journalists. Unnamed witnesses claimed that Dostum jailed and tortured prisoners transferred from Kunduz to the prison in Sheberghan. The tortures and massacre off thousands off Taliban is caught in has documentary film " Afghan Massacres: The Convoy off Death" by Irish filmmaker and to form BBC producer Jamie Doran. The film such the story off thousands off prisoners who surrendered to Dostum' S soldiers after the seat off Kunduz. According to the film, three thousand off the prisoners were forced into sealed containers and loaded onto trucks for transport to Sheberghan prison. When the prisoners began shouting for air, Dostum' S soldiers fired directly into the truck, killing many off them. The rest suffered through year appalling road trip lasting up to furnace days, so thirsty they clawed At the skin off to their fellow prisoners ace they licked transpiration and even drank blood from open wounds.

Witnesses say that when the trucks arrived and soldiers opened the containers, most off the people inside were dead. They also US say Special Forces Re-directed the containers carrying the deserted living room and dead into and stood by ace survivors were shot and buried. Now, up to three thousand bodies binds buried in has serious farmhouse.

The film edge Be viewed At the link

In March 2003, Dostum established has off North Zone Afghanistan, against the wishes off interim president Hamid Karzai. One May 20, 2003, after narrowly escaping year assassination attempt, Dostum assumed the position off " Chief off Staff to to order in Chief off the Afghan Armed Forces".

In the aftermath off the Taliban' S removal from northern Afghanistan, forces honest to honest Dostum frequently clashed with forces to General Tajik Mohammed Atta. Atta kidnapped and killed has off number Dostum' S men and constantly agitated to profit control off Mazar I Sharif. Through the political mediations off the Karzai mode, the U.S. - led international military coalition, and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces, ace well ace the UN-run Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration program, the Dostum-Atta feud has largely ended. The two are now generally politically allied ace share off has off broader ideological effort to protect the interests Afghanistan' S war veterans and to preserves to their own power.

In most ethnic-Uzbek dominated areas in which Dostum has control gold influences, He encourage women to live and work freely, ace well ace encouraging music, sports and allowing for freedom off religion.

One March 1,2005 President Hamid Karzai appointed him Chief off Staff to to order in Chief, although it is unclear whether this position has any real power.

Plain national front

In 2006, Rachid Dostom joint with the coalition the old ones and current strong men of the Afghanistan, commanders of Afghan resistance against the Soviet , former Communist leaders and of various social and ethnic groups, which takes the name of plain National front, and is affirmed quickly like the main force of opposition to the government of the president Hamid Karzai. Gathering several antagonistic currents on the plans policy (moudjahiddines, former Communists and royalists), ethnic (Pachtounes /non pachtounes) and monk (Shiite S Sunnite S), this coalition of lords of the war seems to be the political grouping most significant appeared in Afghanistan since the inversion of the Taliban in 2001.

External links

Afghan Massacre: The Convoy off Death
The Legend off Heavy D and the Servant boys by Robert Young Pelton
CNN Present: House off War
BBC online profiles]
Biography butt Dostum]

Random links: