More than four decades of war have shaped Afghanistan. A consequence of the continued presence of a whole bunch of Warlords: the influence of war is the rich men of questionable reputation. Their careers usually began in the eighties when the Mujahideen against the Soviet invaders and their local allies fought. On both sides of the personalities of the ethnically fragmented tribal society emerged as a military leader. One of the most colorful of all the Afghan Warlords, it has now been awarded the highest military rank in the country, Abdul Rashid Dostum.
Christian Meier
editor in the policy.
F. A. Z.
Abdullah Abdullah, the Chairman of the High Council for reconciliation, travelled on Wednesday in the Northern province of Dschuzdschan, in a ceremony, the carriage Dostum’s made to the Marshal. Which adds to the Vita of the 1954-born ethnic Uzbeks, a Chapter that was to be expected ever been to – not – or definitely. Because Dostum has made in the course of his life, many enemies, but it is also always understood to seize the opportunity.
The son of a farmer began as with the Soviets, an ally of the military commander. From the nineties on, he joined times of the pages, wherein he built with the help of his militia, a power base in the North. He always was an opponent of the Taliban, against which he proceeded with great hardness he of 2001, hundreds of Taliban prisoners have to kill, is one of the war crimes weighs on him.
After the expulsion of the Islamists was the mighty Dostum in the military and political leadership of the country involved. Tensions with President Hamid Karzai, however, had the consequence, that he went in 2008 into Turkish exile – only to a year later as the ally of Karzai’s return. A similar unity of Purpose, he went five years later, with Ashraf Ghani, and was its Vice-President. But also with Ghani, it came to a quarrel. After him, in a bizarre Episode, was accused, in his presence, his bodyguards had raped a competitor, went Dostum once again in Turkey.
in the Meantime – or better: at the moment – he stands to the side of Abdullah’s, which may explain why the President made himself the carriage. Ghani and Abdullah had claimed after the election in September, both the presidency for himself. In may, they put the power struggle; part of the deal was that Dostum is Marshal. On Wednesday, he appealed to America, his troops do not rush to withdraw. The fight against the Taliban, he will accompany suspected for a long time, now as a member of the High Council of state and the National security Council.
