Afghanistan - Afghan Attorney General To File Charges Against Dostum

Radio Free Afghanistan ^ | February 6, 008

[HAL9000]

Police surround Dostum's residence. 03Feb2008

February 5, 2008 (RFE/RL) -- Afghanistan's Attorney General says he plans to file criminal charges against Abdul Rashid Dostum, a powerful ethnic Uzbek militia commander in northern Afghanistan who allegedly abducted his former election campaign manager on Saturday (February 2).

Abdul Jabar Sabit told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan today that Dostum -- the Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Afghan National Army -- would be charged with kidnapping, breaking and entering, assault, and other criminal charges.

But Sabit says he does not think the case will go to trial because the arrest of Dostum would cause instability and probably violence in northern Afghanistan.

Afghan police laid seige to Dostum's house on Sunday (February 3) after he and a group of about 50 armed men allegedly broke into Akbar Bay's home.

Dostum was a key ally of U.S. forces in the fight against the Taliban regime in late 2001. He has changed sides and alliances many times during Afghanistan's 30 years of war.

[FocusNexus]

Dostum is a “good guy” (relatively speaking).

“Dostum was a key ally of U.S. forces in the fight against the Taliban regime in late 2001”

I remember reading at the time, he was invaluable to us and was very effective against the Taliban.

He was also the leader of a city (Mazar-i-Shariff? I could be wrong about the name), that he ran his own way, and it was not controlled by the Taliban. In his city girls were allowed to go to school, unlike in the Taliban controlled areas and economy was doing well. While he may have been a “strong arm” man, but I think if he had been elected President of Afghanistan, he would have completely eradicated the Taliban by now and Afghanistan would have been much further along.

[FocusNexus]

Things are not all as they seem, here is another relevant article.

Intrigue takes Afghanistan to the brink

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JB06Df01.html

[FocusNexus]

Dustum Profile

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1563344.stm

“While much of the rest of Afghanistan was in ruins, his stronghold of Mazar-e-Sharif - a city of around two million people - was thriving.

General Dostum grew rich, but his rule was harsh. He is reported to have frequently ordered public executions of criminals, who were usually crushed to death under tanks. “

Afghan police lift siege of ex-warlord Dostum

http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2008/02/03/afghan_police_lift_siege_of_ex_warlord_dostum/

“At the height of his power, the burly, mustached fighter ran a mini-state centered in parts of the north and his well-equipped army kept even the Taliban at bay until 1997. He printed his own money, set up his own airline, drove an armored Cadillac and vowed never to bow to a government that banned whisky and music.”

My kind of guy!