Abdul Rashid Dostum ( ; عبدالرشید دوستم, Uzbek Latin: Abdul Rashid Do‘stum, Uzbek Cyrillic: Абдул Рашид Дўстум; born 25 March 1954) is an Afghan politician and Marshal in the Afghan National Army who has served as Vice President of Afghanistan from 2014 to 2020.
Dostum is set to be promoted to marshal rank in 2020 after a political agreement between President Ghani and former CEO Abdullah Abdullah. == Early life == Dostum was born in 1954 in Khwaja Du Koh near Sheberghan in Jowzjan Province, Afghanistan.
From there, he took up work in the village's major gas fields. == Careers == Dostum began working in 1970 in a state-owned gas refinery in Sheberghan, participating in union politics, as the new government started to arm the staff of the workers in the oil and gas refineries.
Because of the new communist ideas entering Afghanistan in the 1970s, he enlisted in the Afghan National Army in 1978.
Because of the new communist ideas entering Afghanistan in the 1970s, he enlisted in the Afghan National Army in 1978.
He is the founder of the political party Junbish-e Milli (National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan). Dostum has been widely accused of committing atrocities, war crimes, massacres (Dasht-i-Leili massacre) in Afghanistan since 1980s.
In 2018, the International Criminal Court (ICC) was reported to be considering launching an inquiry into whether Dostum had engaged in war crimes in Afghanistan. During the Soviet–Afghan War in the 1980s, Dostum was part of the Afghan National Army and the regional commander of the country's north, commanding about 20,000 mostly Uzbek soldiers participating in battles against mujahideen rebels.
He defended the Soviet-backed Afghan government against the mujahideen forces throughout the 1980s.
They were deployed in Kandahar in 1988 when Soviet forces were withdrawing from Afghanistan. Due to his efforts in the army, Dostum was awarded the title "Hero of the Republic of Afghanistan" by President Najibullah. === Civil war and northern Afghanistan autonomous state === Dostum's men would become an important force in the fall of Kabul in 1992.
In 1992, he deserted the Mohammad Najibullah government shortly before its collapse, joining the mujahideen, forming his Junbish-e Milli party and militia and becoming an independent warlord.
They were deployed in Kandahar in 1988 when Soviet forces were withdrawing from Afghanistan. Due to his efforts in the army, Dostum was awarded the title "Hero of the Republic of Afghanistan" by President Najibullah. === Civil war and northern Afghanistan autonomous state === Dostum's men would become an important force in the fall of Kabul in 1992.
In April 1992, the opposition forces began their march to Kabul against the government of Najibullah.
He initially supported the new government of Burhanuddin Rabbani in Kabul but in 1994 switched sides and allied with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
In 1994, Dostum allied himself with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar against the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani and Ahmad Shah Massoud, but in 1995 sided with the government again. === Taliban era === Following the rise of the Taliban and their capture of Kabul, Dostum aligned himself with the Northern Alliance (United Front) against the Taliban.
In 1995, he switched sides again and backed Rabbani.
In 1994, Dostum allied himself with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar against the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani and Ahmad Shah Massoud, but in 1995 sided with the government again. === Taliban era === Following the rise of the Taliban and their capture of Kabul, Dostum aligned himself with the Northern Alliance (United Front) against the Taliban.
The Northern Alliance was assembled in late 1996 by Dostum, Massoud and Karim Khalili against the Taliban.
In 1997, he was forced to flee after his former aide Abdul Malik Pahlawan took Mazar-i-Sharif, before he fought back and regained control.
Accordingly, on 25 May 1997, Malik arrested Khan, handed him over and let the Taliban enter Mazar-e-Sharif, giving them control over most of northern Afghanistan.
In October 1997, Dostum returned from exile and retook charge.
In 1998, the city was overrun by the Taliban and he fled again.
After Dostum briefly regained control of Mazar-e-Sharif, the Taliban returned in 1998 and he again fled to Turkey. === Operation Enduring Freedom === Dostum returned to Afghanistan in May 2001 to open up a new front before the U.S.-led campaign against the Taliban joined him, along with Commander Massoud, Ismail Khan and Mohammad Mohaqiq.
An ethnic Uzbek, he fought for the communist government and the Soviets and in 2001 was the key indigenous ally to US Special Forces and the CIA during the campaign to topple the Taliban government after the 9/11 attacks.
Dostum returned to Afghanistan in 2001 and joined the Northern Alliance after the US invasion, leading his faction in the Fall of Mazar-i-Sharif. After the fall of the Taliban, he joined Hamid Karzai's presidential administration but spent most of his time in Turkey.
After Dostum briefly regained control of Mazar-e-Sharif, the Taliban returned in 1998 and he again fled to Turkey. === Operation Enduring Freedom === Dostum returned to Afghanistan in May 2001 to open up a new front before the U.S.-led campaign against the Taliban joined him, along with Commander Massoud, Ismail Khan and Mohammad Mohaqiq.
In November 2001, with the beginning of the U.S.
A few hours later 12 men of Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 595 landed to begin the war. On 24 November 2001, 15,000 Taliban soldiers surrendered after the Siege of Kunduz to American and Northern Alliance forces.
The uprising was eventually brought under control. === Dasht-i-Leili massacre === General Dostum has been accused by Western journalists of responsibility for the suffocating or otherwise killing of 2,000 Taliban prisoners in December 2001.
On 20 May 2003, Dostum narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.
In February 2008, he was suspended after the apparent kidnapping and torture of a political rival. === Time in Turkey === Some media reports in 2008 stated earlier that Dostum was "seeking political asylum" in Turkey while others said he was exiled.
Dostum denied the accusations in 2009.
US President Obama in 2009 ordered an investigation into the matter, which as yet has yielded no (published) results. === Karzai administration === In the aftermath of Taliban's removal from northern Afghanistan, forces loyal to Dostum frequently clashed with Tajik forces loyal to Atta Muhammad Nur.
One Turkish media outlet said Dostum was visiting after flying there with then Turkey's Foreign Minister Ali Babacan during a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). On 16 August 2009, Dostum was asked to return from exile to Afghanistan to support President Hamid Karzai in his bid for re-election.
From 2011, he was part of the leadership council of the National Front of Afghanistan along with Ahmad Zia Massoud and Mohammad Mohaqiq.
Abdul Rashid Dostum ( ; عبدالرشید دوستم, Uzbek Latin: Abdul Rashid Do‘stum, Uzbek Cyrillic: Абдул Рашид Дўстум; born 25 March 1954) is an Afghan politician and Marshal in the Afghan National Army who has served as Vice President of Afghanistan from 2014 to 2020.
In 2014, he joined Ashraf Ghani's presidential administration as a vice president, but was forced to flee again in 2017 after being accused of sexually assaulting a man named, Ahmad Eshchi.
Militia forces loyal to Dostum stated that the civilians they targeted – at least 13 killed and 32 wounded – were supporters of the Taliban. In November 2016, at a buzkashi match, he punched his political rival Ahmad Ischi, and then his bodyguards beat Ischi.
In 2014, he joined Ashraf Ghani's presidential administration as a vice president, but was forced to flee again in 2017 after being accused of sexually assaulting a man named, Ahmad Eshchi.
In 2017, he was accused of having Ischi kidnapped in that incident and raped with a gun on camera during a five-day detention, claims that Dostum denies but that nevertheless forced him into exile in Turkey. On 26 July 2018, he narrowly escaped a suicide bombing by ISIL-KP as he returned to Afghanistan at Kabul airport.
In 2018, the International Criminal Court (ICC) was reported to be considering launching an inquiry into whether Dostum had engaged in war crimes in Afghanistan. During the Soviet–Afghan War in the 1980s, Dostum was part of the Afghan National Army and the regional commander of the country's north, commanding about 20,000 mostly Uzbek soldiers participating in battles against mujahideen rebels.
In 2018, he narrowly escaped a suicide bombing by ISIL-KP as he returned to Afghanistan at Kabul airport.
In 2017, he was accused of having Ischi kidnapped in that incident and raped with a gun on camera during a five-day detention, claims that Dostum denies but that nevertheless forced him into exile in Turkey. On 26 July 2018, he narrowly escaped a suicide bombing by ISIL-KP as he returned to Afghanistan at Kabul airport.
Senior Afghan government officials do not trust Dostum as they are concerned that he might be secretly rearming his forces. == In popular culture == Navid Negahban portrays Dostum in the 2018 film 12 Strong. Dostum appears as a playing card in the board game A Distant Plain. == References == == Bibliography == Vogelsang, Willem.
In 2019, he escaped an hours-long attack by the Taliban on a convoy he was travelling in.
The attack killed 14 and injured 50, including civilians and armed security. On 30 March 2019, Dostum again escaped an expected assassination attempt while traveling from Mazar-e-Sharif to Jawzjan Province, though two of his bodyguards were killed.
Abdul Rashid Dostum ( ; عبدالرشید دوستم, Uzbek Latin: Abdul Rashid Do‘stum, Uzbek Cyrillic: Абдул Рашид Дўстум; born 25 March 1954) is an Afghan politician and Marshal in the Afghan National Army who has served as Vice President of Afghanistan from 2014 to 2020.
Dostum is set to be promoted to marshal rank in 2020 after a political agreement between President Ghani and former CEO Abdullah Abdullah. == Early life == Dostum was born in 1954 in Khwaja Du Koh near Sheberghan in Jowzjan Province, Afghanistan.
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