ENG - Abdul Rashid Dostum (born 1954) was a former Pro-Soviet fighter during the Soviet Invasion and the current leader of Uzbek-Afghan northern provinces.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. He is the principal leader of Afghanistan's Uzbek community. In early 2008 he was removed from his army role because the Akbar Bai kidnapping.
In 1994, Dostum again switched sides, allying with forces of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, in once more laying ...
To the Editor:In his review of Doug Stanton’s “Horse Soldiers” (May 17), Bruce Barcott calls Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum of the Northern Alliance “a courageous, relatively liberal leader.” Liberal? Here’s what a New York Times story had to say about Dostum about a year ago: “General Dostum is one of Afghanistan’s most notorious former warlords. . . . He remains an intimidating presence on the political scene and by many reports has continued to use violence against critics and rivals.”There’s nothing “liberal” about Dostum, ...
cici - in poll Abdul Rashid Dostum
Afghan police officers on patrol during the siege of the house of Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, an Uzbek leader.
KABUL, Afghanistan — Dozens of armed police officers laid siege on Sunday to the house of a powerful ethnic Uzbek leader, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, in the diplomatic district of the capital, Kabul’s police chief said. The action came after about 50 of General Dostum’s followers attacked and briefly abducted a political rival Saturday night.General Dostum is one of Afghanistan’s most notorious former warlords. His militia was disarmed, and he now leads a ...
alexasa - in poll Abdul Rashid Dostum
