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Abdul Rashid Dostum

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Abdul Rashid Dostum
File:Abdul Rashid Dostum Jan 20 2005.jpg
General Abdul Rashid Dostum of the Afghan army
AllegianceAfghanistan Republic of Afghanistan
Afghanistan Mujahideen allied with Massoud
Afghanistan Mujahideen allied with Hekmatyar
Afghanistan Northern Alliance
Afghanistan Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Years of service1978-present
RankGeneral
Battles/warsSoviet war in Afghanistan
Civil war in Afghanistan

Abdul Rashid Dostum (also known as Heavy D, D-Diddy)[1] (born 1954) is a former pro-Soviet fighter during the Soviet war in Afghanistan and is considered by many to be the leader of Afghanistan's Uzbek community. He joined the Afghan military in 1978, fighting with the Soviets and against the mujahideen throughout the 1980s before switching sides and joining the mujahideen. Dostum would again switch sides and has become infamous for his switching of allegiances. Most recently he was a general and Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Afghan National Army a role often viewed as ceremonial.[2] In early 2008 he was removed from his army role because of the Akbar Bai kidnapping incident.

Military career

Early life

Dostum was born in Khvajeh Do Kuh, Afghanistan. In 1970 he began to work in a state-owned gas refinery in Sheberghan, Jowzjan Province, participating in union politics. As the new government started to arm the staff of the workers in the oil and gas refineries. The reason for this was to create "groups for the defense of the revolution". Because of the new communist ideas entering Afghanistan in the 1970s, he enlisted himself in the army. At this time Dostum was on his basis of his military training in the Soviet Union. He returned to Afghanistan, getting a job in Ministry of State Security.[3] His squadron, in response to increasing conflict, was deployed in the rural areas around Sheberghan, under the auspices of the Ministry of National Security.[4]

By the mid 1980s his platoon had grown in stature, reaching a company level and by the mid-1980s he was in command of over 20,000 militas and had reached a regimental level.[5] While the unit recruited throughout Jowzjan and had a relatively broad base, many of its early troops and commanders came from Dostum's home village, Khoja Dukoh, and these represented the core of the unit at that juncture and again when it was reconstituted after the American Invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. He left the army after the purge of Parchamis, but returned after the Soviet occupation began.[4]

Soviet Invasion and change of allegiance

Main article: Soviet war in Afghanistan

As the situation in the Republic of Afghanistan deteriorated with massive uprising occurring all over the country. The then prime minister Hafizullah Amin, seized control when he overthrew president Nur Mohammad Taraki. The KGB reported that Amin sought to cut ties with the Soviet Union and instead ally itself with the People's Republic of China and Pakistan. This prompted the Soviet Union to invade Afghanistan and assasinate president Amin in 1979. Soviet military commander announced to Radio Kabul that Afghanistan had been "liberated" from Amin's rule.

Mujahideen attacks were still a problem in the country. By this time Dostum was commanding a militia battalion to fight and route rebel forces. This eventually became a regiment and later became incorporated into the defense forces as the 53rd Infantry Division. Dostum and his new division reported directly to then-President Mohammad Najibullah. Later on he became the commander of the military unit 374 in Jowzjan. He defended the communist Republic of Afghanistan against the American and Pakistani-backed mujahideens in the 1980s. While he was only a regional commander, he had largely raised the militia he fought with by himself. The Jowzjani militia Dostum controlled was one of the few militia forces in the country which was able to able to be outside of its region. They militia forces were deployed in the city Qandahar in 1988 when Soviet forces withdrew in 1989.[6]

After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 the communist regime faced economic problems. The new Russian government didn't want anything to do with their old communist allies. So they stopped sending supplies to the country, which startd an economic crisis in the country. The Soviet Union was Afghanistans main trading partner from the start in 1978. This eventually led to government officials swapping allegiances and would eventually lead to Mohammad Najibullahs governments fall in 1992.[7]

Dostum army forces would become an important factor in the fall of Kabul in 1992. On April 18, 1992 he started his revolt against the government of Najibullah. He allied himself with mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, and together they captured the city of Kabul. Dostum at that time commanded the militia forces in Kabul. After the siege in 1992 he and Masoud fought in a coalition against Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.[6]

Civil War

Main articles: Civil war in Afghanistan (1992–1996) and Civil war in Afghanistan (1996–2001)

In 1994, Dostum switched allegiances again, now allying himself with the forces of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Again, Dostum was laying a siege on Kabul which started in 1995 and ended in 1997. This time he was fighting against the government Burhanuddin Rabbani and Massoud.[6]

Following the rise of the Taliban and their capture of Herat and Kabul, Dostum re-aligned himself with Rabbani against the Taliban. Always an "opportunist", he tried to buy himself some favour with the Taliban however, sending Uzbek technicians to restore their recently-captured MiG 21 aircraft to working order.[8] The Taliban forces captured the city of Kabul in 1996, forcing Dostum with the Northern Alliance retreated up north. Dostum however retreated to the city of Mazar-i-Sharif.[6]

Much like other northern alliance leaders, Dostum also faced infighting within his group and was later forced tor retreat from power thanks to his General Abdul Malik Pahlawan. Initially, Malik was one of Dostum's subordinates, but in 1996 he blamed Dostum for the murder of his brother Rasoul. He then entered into secret negotiations with the Taliban, who promised to respect his authority over much of Northern Afghanistan, in exchange for the capture of Ismail Khan, one of their most powerful enemies[9][10]. Accordingly, on May 25, 1997 he arrested Khan and handed him over and let the Taliban enter Mazari Sharif, giving them control over most of Northern Afghanistan. Because of this treason, Dostum was forced to flee to Turkey.[11] However Malik quickly realized that the Taliban weren't going to keep their promises as they started to disarm his men. He then rejoined forces with the Northern Alliance, and turned against his erstwhile allies, helping to drive them from Mazar-i-Sharif. In October 1997, Dostum returned from exile and defeated Malik, briefly regaining control of Mazar-i-Sharif, and forcing Malik to escape to Iran. But in 1998 he was forced to flee to Turkey again.[6][12]

Dostum returned in 2001. At this time Massoud had funded Dostum to come and open a new front in the campaign against Taliban. Along with General Mohammed Fahim and Ismail Khan, Dostum was one of three leaders of the Northern Alliance.[5]

US Invasion of Afghanistan

Main articles: War in Afghanistan (2001–present) and Battle of Qala-i-Jangi
Dostum and Hamid Karzai in December 2001

In November 2001, with the beginning of the US invasion of Afghanistan, and against the wishes of the CIA who distrusted Dostum, a team including Johnny Micheal Spann landed to set up communications in the Dariya Suf. A few hours later 23 men of Operational Detatchment Alpha (ODA) 595 landed to begin the war.[1][13]

On November 24, 2000 300 Taliban soldiers who had retreated after the Siege of Kunduz by American and Aghan military forces. The deserter laid down their weapons a few miles from the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. They eventually surrendered peacefully to Dostum. Dostum called this a "great victory".[14]

The surrendered Taliban fighters left Mazar-i-Sharif to be moved to the 19th century prison fortress, Qala-i-Jangi. The prison was full of Taliban fighters who would eventually start the Battle of Qala-i-Jangi against the Northern Alliance and later British and American forces. The uprising eventually overpowered the Northern Alliance soldiers placed to defend the prison. During the uprising Dostum commanded the Afghan forces battling the Taliban uprisers.[14]

Political career

Afghan Government

Dostum served as a deputy defense minister for Karzai in the national government in Kabul. In March 2003, Dostum established a North Zone of Afghanistan, against the wishes of interim president Hamid Karzai. On May 20, 2003, after narrowly escaping an assassination attempt, Dostum assumed the position of "Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Afghan Armed Forces".

In the aftermath of the Taliban's removal from northern Afghanistan, forces loyal to Dostum frequently clashed with forces loyal to Tajik General Ustad Atta Mohammed Noor. Atta kidnapped and killed a number of Dostum's men and constantly agitated to gain control of Mazar i Sharif. Through the political mediations of the Karzai regime, the U.S.-led international military coalition, and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, as well as the UN-run Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration program, the Dostum-Atta feud has largely ended. The two are now generally politically allied as part of a broader ideological effort to protect the interests of Afghanistan's war veterans and to preserve their own power. On March 1, 2005 President Hamid Karzai appointed him Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief, although it is unclear whether this position has any real power.

Akbar Bai kidnapping

On February 2, 2008, about 50 of Dostum's fighters reportedly kidnapped Akbar Bai, a former ally of Dostum who had become his rival.[15][16] In this attack, which occurred at Bai's home, Bai, his son, and a bodyguard were said to have been beaten, and another bodyguard was said to have been shot. Early on February 3, Dostum's house was surrounded by police. Bai and the three others were freed and hospitalized.[16] According to the authorities, the stand-off at Dostum's home between his fighters and the police ended with Dostum's agreement to cooperate with the authorities in an investigation of the incident.[17] Radio Free Europe reported on February 6, 2008 that Afghan Attorney-General Abdul Jabar Sabit said charges against Dostum were pending.[15] Sabit said that the political and security situation would make it difficult to prosecute Dostum. The charges, according to Sabit, included kidnapping, breaking and entering, and assault.

These are not political accusations -- it is a criminal case ... Anyone who commits a criminal act must be brought to justice," Sabit says. But in reality, I must admit that there will be some difficulties. In this war situation, in many cases, it is difficult for us to implement the law ... seven or eight [northern provinces could slide into civil war] if anyone touches even one hair on Dostum's head.

— Mohammad Alem Sayeh [15]

According to a spokesman for the United National Front of Afghanistan, Sayed Hussain Sancharaki claims that General Dostum has a high profile among his people and is one of the famous political and military figures of Afghanistan. He is Karzai's chief of staff for the armed forces and he is a senior member of the United Front of Afghanistan. It is natural that any kind of action against him will have repercussions. The consequences will be very dangerous -- catastrophic -- for the stability of Afghanistan."[15]

Human Rights Watch spokesmen Sam Zia-Zarifi, called the charges a sign of Afghanistan's "growing balkanization".[15] He asserted that the size of warlords private armies was increasing, fueled by illicit profits from Afghanistan's Opium trade.

On February 19, it was announced that Sabit had suspended Dostum from his position as Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief after he failed to appear when summoned for the investigation. According to Dostum, this was "not in line with the law", and he said that he would request Karzai's intervention. Three allies of Dostum—Latif Pedram and two members of parliament—were also summoned for the investigation.[17]

On October 30th, Dostum's position as Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief was restored after the Attorney General agreed to Akbar Bai's dropping of all charges.

Exile in Turkey?

Some media reports beginning December 4 said that Dostum was "seeking political asylum" in Turkey [18], while others said he was exiled.[19] One Turkish media outlet said Dostum was visiting after flying there with Turkey's Foreign Minister Ali Babacan during a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). [20]

Like most rumors spread about Dostum, it turned out to much less dramatic: Dostum was vislting his Ankara-based wife and twins during the holiday of Eid.

Political Views

In most ethnic-Uzbek dominated areas in which Dostum has control or influence, he encourages women to live and work freely, as well as encouraging music, sports and allowing for freedom of religion.[citation needed]

He views the NATO attempt to crush the Taliban as ineffective and has gone on record saying that he could mop up the Taliban "in six months" [2], if allowed to raise an 10,000 strong army of Afghan veterans.[2] Senior Afghan government officials do not trust Dostum as they show great concern that Dostum is covertly rearming his forces.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Robert Young Pelton (2007). "The Legend of Heavy D & the Boys:In the Field With an Afghan Warlord" (HTML). national geographic. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  2. ^ a b c d David Pugliese (May 10, 2007). "Former Afghan warlord says he can defeat Taliban" (HTML). CanWest News Service. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  3. ^ "Tactically brutal, pragmatically treacherous: Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum". New Internationalist. Retrieved 2009-03-18. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ a b "Abdul Rashid Dostum". Global Security. Retrieved 2009-03-18. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ a b "Profile: General Rashid Dostum". BBC News. Retrieved 2009-03-18. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e "Abdul Rashid Dostum". Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Retrieved 2009-03-18. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ "The Demise of the Soviet Union". lcweb2.loc.gov/. Retrieved 2009-03-18. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Griffiths, John C. "Afghanistan: A History of Conflict", 1981. Second Revision 2001.
  9. ^ Johnson, Thomas H. "Ismail Khan, Herat, and Iranian Influence". Center for Contemporary Conflict. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  10. ^ De Ponfilly, Christophe(2001); Massoud l'Afghan; Gallimard; ISBN 2-07-042468-5; p. 75
  11. ^ page 6-8 - Nate Hardcastle. American Soldier: Stories of Special Forces from Grenada to Afghanistan (2002 ed.). Thunder's Mouth Press. p. 364. ISBN 1560254386.
  12. ^ UN Security Council report. "La situation en Afghanistan et ses conséquences pour la paix et la sécurité internationales". Human Rights Internet ( http://www.hri.ca/index.aspx ). Retrieved 2007-03-20. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ "ODA 595" (HTML). PBS. 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  14. ^ a b Alex Perry. "Inside the Battle at Qala-I-Jangi". Time. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  15. ^ a b c d e Ron Synovitz (February 6, 2008). "Afghanistan: Prosecutor Suggests 'Some People' Cannot Be Tried". Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
  16. ^ a b Abdul Waheed Wafa (2008-02-04). "Kabul police surround home of the former warlord Dostum" (HTML). International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  17. ^ a b "Feared Afghan strongman suspended from government post", AFP, February 19, 2008.
  18. ^ "Dostum seeking asylum in Turkey - media reports," Quqnoos.com, 6 Dec 2008, retrieved 6 Dec 08
  19. ^ "Afghan general Rashid Dostum flies to exile in Turkey," Deutsche Presse-Agentur via earthtimes.org, 4 Dec 08, retrieved 6 Dec 08
  20. ^ "Afghan warlord in Turkey but not in exile, official says," Today's Zaman, 5 Dec 08, retrieved 6 Dec 08
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