General Abdul Rashid Dostum (also Abdurrashid Dostum, born 1954), a powerful ethnic Uzbek warlord is the principal leader of Afghanistan's Uzbek community. He currently holds the honorific position of "Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Afghan Armed Forces". Warlord is a term that refers to one who has de facto military control of a subnational area, due to a military force which is personally obedient to that warlord. ...

He is leader of Junbish Milli / Junbesh-i Melli-i Islami, Jombesh-e Melli Islami (National Islamic Movement Afghanistan). He later joined the communist government, serving as defense minister for President Muhammad Najibullah, until the mujahideen defeated it in 1992. The National Islamic Movement Afghanistan, or Junbish Milli is an Uzbek group who opposed the Taliban during the 1980s and 1990s. ... The National Islamic Movement Afghanistan, or Junbish Milli is an Uzbek group who opposed the Taliban during the 1980s and 1990s. ...

One of the best-organized and powerful of the militia groups operated under the command of Abdul Rashid Dostum in the area around Sheberghan in Jawzjan province, northern Afghanistan. Dostum had been in the Army at the time of the 1978 coup, and was a member of the Parcham faction of the PDPA. Sheberghan (also spelled Shebirghan and Shibarghan) is the capital city of the northern Jowzjan Province in Afghanistan. ... A communist group in Afghanistan formed in 1967 by USSRs help. ...

Soviet - Afghan war

Dostum completed his national service, and had trained as a paratrooper in the 1970s, as was required by law. Following his demobilization he found employment in the oil fields around Sheberghan where he was working at the time of the Saur Revolution. An American Paratrooper using a MC1-B series parachute Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force. ... Sheberghan (also spelled Shebirghan and Shibarghan) is the capital city of the northern Jowzjan Province in Afghanistan. ...

As the government started to arm the staff of the oil and gas refineries—creating “groups for the defense of the revolution” - he was, on the basis of his military training, encouraged to enlist. His group, in response to increasing conflict, was deployed in the rural areas around Sheberghan, under the auspices of the Ministry of National Security. Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Petroleum (from Greek petra – rock and elaion – oil or Latin oleum – oil ), crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold or Texas Tea, is a thick, dark brown or greenish liquid. ... A gas is one of the four main phases of matter (after solid and liquid, and followed by plasma), that subsequently appear as a solid material is subjected to increasingly higher temperatures. ... Sheberghan (also spelled Shebirghan and Shibarghan) is the capital city of the northern Jowzjan Province in Afghanistan. ...

By the mid 1980s his platoon had grown in stature, reaching a company level by at least 1987 and a regimental level, Regiment 734, by 1988. While the unit recruited throughout Jauzjan 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 2001.

He left the army after the purge of Parchamis, and returned after the Soviet occupation began, commanding a militia battalion that became a regiment and ultimately was incorporated into the defense foces as the 53rd Infantry Division, but reporting directly to President Mohammad Najibullah. He then joined the Ministry of State Security and became commander of unit 374 in Jozjan. A communist group in Afghanistan formed in 1967 by USSRs help. ... Soviet redirects here. ... Dr. Mohammad Najibullah (1947–September 27, 1996) was the fourth and last President of Afghanistan during the period of the communist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. ...

He defended the communist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the United States-backed mujahedin in the 1980s. Although he was only a regional commander, he had largely raised the militia he fought with on his own. This article is about Communist rule in Afghanistan (1978-1992), which is seperate, although slightly so, from the Soviet war in Afghanistan in support of this country. ... Mujahideen (مجاهدين; also transliterated as mujāhidīn, mujahedeen, mujahedin, mujahidin, mujaheddin, etc. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ...

The Jauzjani militia, as it became known, was one of the few militia forces to be used outside of its region. They were deployed in Qandahar in 1988 when Soviet forces withdrew. He also supported the Gorbachev-era Communist reforms in Afghanistan. For the hamlet in Saskatchewan, Canada; see Kandahar, Saskatchewan. ... (help· info) (Russian: ), IPA: (commonly anglicized as Gorbachev), born March 2, 1931, was leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991. ...

On April 18, 1992, he revolted against the government of President Najibullah, allying with Ahmed Shah Massoud. Together, they captured Kabul, the Afghan capital. He commanded the principal militia force in Kabul that ousted Najibullah, creating episodes of kidnapping, looting and fighting. April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Mohammad Najibullah (1947–September 27, 1996) was the fourth President of Afghanistan during the period of the communist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. ... Ahmed Shah Masood (احمد شاه مسعود) (c. ... A view of the old city Kabul Kabul (34°32′N 69°10′E, Kâbl, in Persian کابل) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan with a population variously estimated at 2 to 4 million. ... In politics, a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has an alternative meaning based on an alternative meaning of capital) is the principal city or town associated with its government. ... A view of the old city Kabul Kabul (34°32′N 69°10′E, Kâbl, in Persian کابل) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan with a population variously estimated at 2 to 4 million. ... Looting (which derives via the Hindi lut from Sanskrit lunt, to rob) is the inconsiderate taking of valuables triggered by a change in authority or the absence thereof. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Afghan Civil War

In 1994, Dostum again switched sides, allying with forces of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, in once more laying siege on Kabul, this time against the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani and Massoud. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (born 1947 in Imam Saheb, Kunduz province, Afghanistan) is an Afghan warlord. ... Burhanuddin Rabbani (برهان الدين رباني) (born 1940), an ethnic Tajik, is a former President of Afghanistan and was political leader of the Northern Alliance of Afghanistan. ...

In 1996, following the rise of the Taliban and their capture of Herat and Kabul, Dostum realigned himself with Rabbani against the Taliban. Along with General Mohammed Fahim and Ismail Khan, Dostum was one of three factional leaders that comprised the Afghan Northern Alliance. Facing capture and death by Taliban forces, Dostum fled to Turkey as an exile. Flag flown by the Taliban. ... Herāt (Persian هرات) is a city in western Afghanistan, in the valley of the Hari Rud river in the province also known as Herat, and was traditionally known for wine. ... A view of the old city Kabul Kabul (34°32′N 69°10′E, Kâbl, in Persian کابل) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan with a population variously estimated at 2 to 4 million. ... Mohammad Qasim Fahim (محمد قسيم فهيم) was the defense minister of the Afghan Transitional Administration, beginning in 2002. ... Ismail Khan (b. ... The Northern Alliance is a term used by the western media, Taliban and Al Qaida to identify the military coalition of various Afghan groups fighting the Taliban. ...

In 2001, he returned from exile on the heels of a U.S.-led bombing campaign that drove the Taliban from power. Since then, he has run parts of the country's north as his own fiefdom, nominally serving as a deputy defense minister in the national government in Kabul but operating almost totally independent of the government. Motto: E pluribus unum (1789 to present) (Latin: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York, New York Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government • President • Vice President Federal republic... Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud or fee, often consisted of heritable lands or revenue-producing property granted by a liege lord in return for a form of allegiance, originally often to give him the means to fulfill his military duties when called upon. ...

In November of 2002, the United Nations began an investigation of alleged human rights abuses by Dostum. Witnesses claimed that Dostum jailed and tortured witnesses to prevent them from testifying in a war crimes case. Dostum is also under suspicion for the events of the Dasht-i-Leili massacre. United Nations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... The Dasht-i-Leili massacre occurred in December 2001 during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan where between 250 and 3,000 (depending on sources) Taliban prisoners were shot and/or suffocated to death in metal truck containers, while being transferred by U.S. and Northern Alliance soldiers from Kunduz...

In March 2003, he established a North Zone of Afghanistan, against the wishes of interim president Hamid Karzai. On May 20, 2003, Dostum signed an agreement to no longer serve as Karzai's special envoy for the northern regions. Later, Dostum reached a political compromise with Karzai, assuming the position of "Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief of the Afghan Armed Forces". On March 27, 2003, Afghan deputy defense minister general Abdul Rashid Dostum created an office for the North Zone of Afghanistan and appointed officials to it, defying interim president Hamid Karzais orders that there be no zones in Afghanistan. ... Hamid Karzai (Pushtu: حامد کرزي, Dari: حامد کرزی) (born December 24, 1957) is the current and first democratically elected President of Afghanistan (since December 7, 2004). ... 20 May is the 140th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (141st in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the aftermath of the Taliban's removal from northern Afghanistan, forces loyal to Dostum frequently clashed with forces loyal to Tajik General Mohammed Atta. 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. The Tajiks (Persian: تاجيك) are one of the principal ethnic groups of Central Asia, and are primarily found in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Pakistan, and the Xinjiang province of China. ... Mohammed Atta is the current governor of Afghanistans Balkh Province. ...

In most ethnic-Uzbek dominated areas in which Dostum has control or influence, he encourages women to live and work freely, as well as music, sports, alcohol, and allows for people of other religions. However it is claimed that during the civil war he financed his army through the opium business. He has also been accused by people fleeing Afghanistan of being involved in human rights violations: arresting and killing people all over the country through government infrastructure. Opium is a narcotic analgesic drug which is obtained from the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L. or the synonym paeoniflorum). ...

On March 1, 2005 President Hamid Karzai appointed him chief of staff to the head of the Afghan armed forces. Hamid Karzai (Pushtu: حامد کرزي, Dari: حامد کرزی) (born December 24, 1957) is the current and first democratically elected President of Afghanistan (since December 7, 2004). ...

Lieut. ... The Afghan Defense Ministry is an organ of the Government of Afghanistan, overseeing the Afghan National Army. ... President Karzai reviews the first soldiers of the Afghan National Army. ...

External links

• BBC online profile
• Biography about Dostum