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Afghan Warlord Accused of Rights Abuses Gets Highest Military Rank

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File Photo – Dostum (left) with Ghani (right)

By Ayesha Tanzeem
VOA News
July 15, 2020

ISLAMABAD – A powerful Afghan warlord who was accused of kidnapping and raping a political rival, in addition to other accusations of rights abuses dating back decades, was promoted to the highest military rank of marshal Wednesday in a special ceremony in Jawzjan province.

The promotion of Abdul Rashid Dostum was part of a deal Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, negotiated with President Ashraf Ghani to end several months of political turmoil after Abdullah and Ghani declared victory in presidential elections last year.

The deadlock had threatened to unravel possible peace talks with the Taliban when the United States announced it would cut $1 billion in aid if the two sides did not come to a quick resolution.

Dostum, who had previously been a Ghani supporter, backed Abdullah for the presidency in 2019 in return for a promise of the promotion.

In 2016, while Dostum was serving as Ghani’s vice president, he was accused of kidnapping fellow Uzbek and political rival Ahmad Ishchi.

Ishchi broke down on national television as he accused Dostum of beating him up in front of thousands at a sports arena, torturing him, and ordering his guards to rape him with the barrels of their guns.

After an outcry and calls for justice, including from the United States and European Union, Ghani’s administration tried to have Dostum arrested, only to have the strongman flee to Turkey where he stayed for 15 months.

Patricia Grossman, associate Asia director for international rights group Human Rights Watch, said the episode was tantamount to enabling impunity.

“Afghans who are counting on the government to protect human rights may be gravely disappointed,” she tweeted.

After receiving his rank, Dostum told a gathering the United States should not pull out of Afghanistan without making sure the Taliban implement their end of the bargain.

He was referring to a deal titled the “Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan,” reached in February, that calls for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in 14 months in return for the Taliban breaking ties with al-Qaida and preventing the use of Afghan soil “against the security of the United States and its allies.”

Dostum also said he could defeat the Taliban in six months if the current Afghan government and the international community let him lead a war.

A large number of Afghan politicians, along with diplomats from Uzbekistan, Turkey and India, were joined by hundreds of locals at the ceremony. Dostum is the third person in Afghan history to have received the rank of marshal.

10 thoughts on “Afghan Warlord Accused of Rights Abuses Gets Highest Military Rank”

  1. That
    “GOOFY”
    action
    clearly dhows up
    the
    weakness
    of
    the invaders and their stooges- “THEY,
    Basically, HAVE NOTHING NEW
    TO
    OFFER !
    ===
    ==
    =
    THAT MEANS:
    ===========
    “LET THE PEOPLE
    OF
    AFGHANISTAN
    STEER THEIR OWN,
    “GOD-GIVEN”,
    DESTINY” !!!!!
    *

  2. TO:
    Ms
    Ayesha Tanzeem !
    ===============
    You must do
    some
    thorough investigation before
    soul searching
    on
    an
    appointment
    of
    such a caliber
    in
    Afghanistan.
    .
    *YES;
    he
    is
    a
    notorious
    “real life
    warlord“
    whose
    “GANG”
    was always
    bolstered
    by
    the invading
    Super Power
    invaders.
    .
    The guy
    was initially picked up,
    as a recruit, through
    an
    Uzbek GENERAL
    in service
    of
    the
    Soviet’s
    intelligence agencies
    and
    then as they were exiting Afghanistan, in
    late1980’s, they passed his
    Gang-Style criminal activities
    to
    Western comrades; on the wake
    departure from
    Kabul City.
    ===========
    ===========
    JUST TO
    CORRECT AND REMIND
    YOU:
    ===
    ==
    =
    He was never
    powerful.
    .
    HE WAS JUST ACTING
    AS
    A
    STOOGE
    TO
    THE
    GRAND SCHEMES
    OF
    THE
    SUPER POWERS
    OF
    HIS
    DAY; NOW, THAT
    IS
    THE FACT !
    *

      • Coward foreign
        invaders,
        ((rapists, thieves and murderers)),
        are all
        mentally ill- GET
        OUT
        OF
        AFGHANISTAN !!!!!
        *

        • Otherwise; you all will miserably
          be
          forced out- let the local folks,
          inside
          Afghanistan,
          lead
          their own country; with
          *PEACE AND *RESPECT !
          *

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