Posted on 04/08/2004 6:37:21 PM PDT by Destro
Provincial Capital in Afghanistan Is Seized by a Warlord's Forces
By CARLOTTA GALL
Published: April 9, 2004
KABUL, Afghanistan, April 8 - Forces loyal to Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum seized control of the capital of Faryab Province in northern Afghanistan on Thursday, forcing the governor to flee and drawing a sharp rebuke from President Hamid Karzai and his ministers in Kabul.
The central government ordered in troops of the Afghan National Army, along with their American trainers, but they arrived too late to prevent the takeover of power. It was more a political coup than a military clash, with just some shooting in the air in the city, witnesses said. But militia loyal to General Dostum had seized control in four districts throughout the province, they said.
The governor and his top officials fled in the morning after a demonstration turned violent and protesters began stoning the governor's office, the interior minister, Ali Ahmad Jalali, told a news briefing. The governor of a neighboring Sar-e-Pul Province also fled his post, he said. There were no reported casualties.
General Dostum was trying to "stamp his authority on the region," Mr. Jalali told journalists on Thursday afternoon. "What General Dostum has done is against all military rules and the Constitution of Afghanistan," he said.
It is the first time that a governor appointed by the central government has been forced from power by an armed faction, and will be a test of Mr. Karzai and his government's ability to reassert control. General Dostum is Mr. Karzai's representative in the north and has often voiced support for the central government. Yet he has been an advocate for a federated state and has been reluctant to give up military and economic control of his region.
Coming just two weeks after heavy fighting in the western province of Herat, a time when Afghan National Army troops were also deployed, the power struggle in Faryab highlights the continuing instability and the prevalence of armed militias that are plaguing much of the country.
The first deployment of 150 out of 700 Afghan National Army soldiers arrived in Faryab on Thursday afternoon and were poised to start patrols in the city by evening, said Gen. Zaher Azimi, an army spokesman. More units were on their way from the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, he said.
The city was calm at nightfall, but still remained in the hands of men loyal to General Dostum. A small number of British troops were also in the city.
In a statement issued from his office in Kabul, Mr. Karzai and his security council ordered all the armed groups that had entered Faryab Province and the city of Maimana to leave immediately and return to their bases. The statement also called on the governor and other officials of Faryab to return to their work.
Mr. Jalali, who is responsible for appointing provincial governors, said members of the National Police would also be traveling to the area to investigate what had happened and to try to restore the governor to power.
He was strongly critical of General Dostum and said that men who were technically soldiers of the Ministry of Defense and under General Dostum's command were among those who seized control of Faryab. He called such action "misuse of the National Army" and "unconstitutional," and said General Dostum was acting to exert his own authority in the area for personal gain.
Neither General Dostum nor his aides could be reached for comment on Thursday, but he has reportedly denied being behind the unrest.
General Abdul Rashid Dostum, leader of Afghanistan's minority Uzbek community. A nationalist whose biggest support comes from Afghan Uzbeks.
A long ally of Russia, I would not be suprised if Moscow winked his way though he is more than capable of this action on his own withou anyone's ok.
Dostum is not taliban/al-Qaeda's man but he is not our man either.
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It sure looks that way tonight, doesn't it? :(
By the way, I hear "Engineer" Hekmatyar's coming back politically, and that Burhanuddin Rabbani's making noise too. Is this correct?
And... How are the Pashtuns treating US soldiers?
Sorry, bro. But since you've got first hand knowledge, I just got to ask questions. We don't get much raw data here at home. Everybody's spinning.
Regards.
Yep, even minor goons (warlord generals that are fat/40 year old) of the big goons have 3-4 wives and marry them when they are 13 years old. They space them out, of course. Most of them drink like fish (cheap russian vodka). There have been many a night when my team would come back to the safe house after a "meeting" with a warlord. Driving drunk on the roads with heavy automatic weapons. What a country...
Maybe you're right about Dostum being the least unpalatable of the available alternatives. But, does it help us to have the legitimate governor of Faryab being run out of town? (legitimate being a relative term here)
I am actually good friends with the governor and the mayor of Meymaneh. Both are supporters of Dostum and the central government. The mayor is actually a US citizen who came back to help. That is why I think it was Atta's thugs who had a "demonstration" to get rid of them. BTW, both armies force men into their ranks with threats against their families. Both the mayor and the governor are pretty good people. Alot better than most "leaders" I met in country.
By the way, I hear "Engineer" Hekmatyar's coming back politically, and that Burhanuddin Rabbani's making noise too. Is this correct?
Hekmatyar may want to go legit, but on his terms. US Forces will kill him if they find him first. Not mush love for him since he destroyed most of Kabul with his rockets right after the Russians left.
And... How are the Pashtuns treating US soldiers?
Pashtuns are the least friendly to US forces and most Taliban were Pashtuns.
Sorry, bro. But since you've got first hand knowledge, I just got to ask questions. We don't get much raw data here at home. Everybody's spinning.
Yeah, it is a shame. And you can kick my ass for saying this, but Geraldo does a decent job on getting to the "real world" of Afghanistan (better than most reporters I have seen since I have been back).
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