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Mujib Mashal And Fahim Abed, The New York Times
Monday, Nov. 28, 2016
Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum is the very model of a modern Uzbek warlord. Alan Chin/The New York Times
KABUL, Afghanistan — As heavy snow fell on the muddy arena in northern Afghanistan on Friday where a traditional game of buzkashi — two teams of horsemen fighting for a dead goat — was underway, a scuffle broke out near the stands.
It was not just another group of hotheaded fans going at it. The man who had thrown the punch was the vice president of Afghanistan, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum. And he did not stop there: to drive the humiliation home, he put his foot on the chest of his downed victim, a political rival named Ahmad Ishchi, who was then beaten by the general’s bodyguards, thrown into the back of an armored vehicle and taken away, said several of Ishchi’s relatives, many of them speaking on the condition of anonymity out of a fear for retaliation.
“Dostum came there and he walked around the stadium, then he called Ahmad Ishchi over to him,” said Gulab Khan, a relative of Ishchi who was present at the game with about 5,000 other spectators. “After talking with him for a couple of minutes, he punched him and his bodyguards started beating him with AK-47s. They beat Ahmad very badly and in a barbaric way.”
Dostum’s act, while not unexpected for a former warlord with a history of accusations of human rights violations and abuse (including physical acts of retaliation against allies and rivals), confirms the worst fears about someone a heartbeat from the presidency.
SHAH MARAI / AFP / Getty ImagesNewly-sworn in Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (C) administers the oath to his new two vice-presidents, former warlord Abdul Rahid Dostum (L), and former justice minister Sarwar Danish (R) during the swearing in ceremony for the country's new president at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on September 29, 2014.
With President Ashraf Ghani traveling abroad on an official visit to Central Asia, Dostum is technically the acting president of the country. For more than two days, he has held his political rival hostage in one of his properties, with family members increasingly concerned about Ishchi’s health.
On Sunday, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the vice president’s pink palace in the northern city of Sheberghan, pleading with him to free Ishchi. The protesters remained all day, but Dostum did not meet with them. His guards simply told the protesters the general was busy or resting.
Spokesmen and advisers to Dostum did not respond to requests for comment, despite promises from several of them. Aides who had accompanied the general to the game, and who were shown at his side in official pictures, flatly denied they had been there.
Lutfullah Azizi, the governor of Jowzjan province, which includes Sheberghan, said he was away from his office on a visit to Kabul, the capital, but was trying to calm the situation.
“I am aware of the dispute between General Dostum and Ahmad Ishchi; I organized the tribal elders and sent them to talk with General Dostum to release Ahmad,” Azizi said Sunday. “They are currently meeting General Dostum, and we are emphasizing Ahmad’s release tonight as he is sick.”
VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO / AFP / Getty ImagesMounted riders play the traditional sport known also as Buzkashi or Ulak Tartis ("goat grabbing"), on March 18, 2016, in which mounted players compete for points by throwing a stuffed sheepskin into a well.
While the two men have a long history of not getting along, a senior Afghan official who also spoke on the condition of anonymity said Ishchi had shown some sign of disrespect at what is a vulnerable time for the general.
He has increasingly felt marginalized and humiliated by Ghani in Kabul. He has spent more time away from his office, often seen in uniform in the battlefields of his northern stronghold, than behind his desk.
Ishchi has been involved in politics in the north for decades, and he helped Dostum found the Junbish party that he leads now. A former labor leader during the communist regime, he rose to serve in senior provincial government positions. One of his sons was a district governor in Jowzjan, and another is a member of the provincial council there. A third son has become rich in recent years through businesses he has in Turkey.
The senior Afghan official said though Ishchi’s power amounts to little compared with Dostum’s, the general nevertheless considers the Ishchi family a threat to his own dynasty as he grooms his children to inherit his party and power.
Paula Bronstein / Getty ImagesGeneral Abdul Rashid Dostum sits on a horse during his final campaign rally October 6, 2004 at Kabul stadium in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The incident happened soon after Dostum returned to the country after weeks of absence following another outburst aimed at Ghani, in which he threatened to cause trouble if he was not taken seriously. The outburst was triggered by anger at the lack of help from the central government when the general’s convoy was ambushed by the Taliban during a military operation in Faryab province, killing many of the men who had been at his side for years.
At Friday’s game, Dostum arrived in a convoy of black armored vehicles. Before the goat was slaughtered to start the action, local musicians sang a tribute to the recent martyrs as the general wept. His trembling lips pushing out deep breaths of pain, and with snow gathering on his shoulders, he wiped his tears with a white tissue.
Then, he took it out on Ishchi.
http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/ne...ting-on-political-rival-and-takes-him-captive
Monday, Nov. 28, 2016
Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum is the very model of a modern Uzbek warlord. Alan Chin/The New York Times
KABUL, Afghanistan — As heavy snow fell on the muddy arena in northern Afghanistan on Friday where a traditional game of buzkashi — two teams of horsemen fighting for a dead goat — was underway, a scuffle broke out near the stands.
It was not just another group of hotheaded fans going at it. The man who had thrown the punch was the vice president of Afghanistan, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum. And he did not stop there: to drive the humiliation home, he put his foot on the chest of his downed victim, a political rival named Ahmad Ishchi, who was then beaten by the general’s bodyguards, thrown into the back of an armored vehicle and taken away, said several of Ishchi’s relatives, many of them speaking on the condition of anonymity out of a fear for retaliation.
“Dostum came there and he walked around the stadium, then he called Ahmad Ishchi over to him,” said Gulab Khan, a relative of Ishchi who was present at the game with about 5,000 other spectators. “After talking with him for a couple of minutes, he punched him and his bodyguards started beating him with AK-47s. They beat Ahmad very badly and in a barbaric way.”
Dostum’s act, while not unexpected for a former warlord with a history of accusations of human rights violations and abuse (including physical acts of retaliation against allies and rivals), confirms the worst fears about someone a heartbeat from the presidency.
SHAH MARAI / AFP / Getty ImagesNewly-sworn in Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (C) administers the oath to his new two vice-presidents, former warlord Abdul Rahid Dostum (L), and former justice minister Sarwar Danish (R) during the swearing in ceremony for the country's new president at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on September 29, 2014.
With President Ashraf Ghani traveling abroad on an official visit to Central Asia, Dostum is technically the acting president of the country. For more than two days, he has held his political rival hostage in one of his properties, with family members increasingly concerned about Ishchi’s health.
On Sunday, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the vice president’s pink palace in the northern city of Sheberghan, pleading with him to free Ishchi. The protesters remained all day, but Dostum did not meet with them. His guards simply told the protesters the general was busy or resting.
Spokesmen and advisers to Dostum did not respond to requests for comment, despite promises from several of them. Aides who had accompanied the general to the game, and who were shown at his side in official pictures, flatly denied they had been there.
Lutfullah Azizi, the governor of Jowzjan province, which includes Sheberghan, said he was away from his office on a visit to Kabul, the capital, but was trying to calm the situation.
“I am aware of the dispute between General Dostum and Ahmad Ishchi; I organized the tribal elders and sent them to talk with General Dostum to release Ahmad,” Azizi said Sunday. “They are currently meeting General Dostum, and we are emphasizing Ahmad’s release tonight as he is sick.”
VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO / AFP / Getty ImagesMounted riders play the traditional sport known also as Buzkashi or Ulak Tartis ("goat grabbing"), on March 18, 2016, in which mounted players compete for points by throwing a stuffed sheepskin into a well.
While the two men have a long history of not getting along, a senior Afghan official who also spoke on the condition of anonymity said Ishchi had shown some sign of disrespect at what is a vulnerable time for the general.
He has increasingly felt marginalized and humiliated by Ghani in Kabul. He has spent more time away from his office, often seen in uniform in the battlefields of his northern stronghold, than behind his desk.
Ishchi has been involved in politics in the north for decades, and he helped Dostum found the Junbish party that he leads now. A former labor leader during the communist regime, he rose to serve in senior provincial government positions. One of his sons was a district governor in Jowzjan, and another is a member of the provincial council there. A third son has become rich in recent years through businesses he has in Turkey.
The senior Afghan official said though Ishchi’s power amounts to little compared with Dostum’s, the general nevertheless considers the Ishchi family a threat to his own dynasty as he grooms his children to inherit his party and power.
Paula Bronstein / Getty ImagesGeneral Abdul Rashid Dostum sits on a horse during his final campaign rally October 6, 2004 at Kabul stadium in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The incident happened soon after Dostum returned to the country after weeks of absence following another outburst aimed at Ghani, in which he threatened to cause trouble if he was not taken seriously. The outburst was triggered by anger at the lack of help from the central government when the general’s convoy was ambushed by the Taliban during a military operation in Faryab province, killing many of the men who had been at his side for years.
At Friday’s game, Dostum arrived in a convoy of black armored vehicles. Before the goat was slaughtered to start the action, local musicians sang a tribute to the recent martyrs as the general wept. His trembling lips pushing out deep breaths of pain, and with snow gathering on his shoulders, he wiped his tears with a white tissue.
Then, he took it out on Ishchi.
http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/ne...ting-on-political-rival-and-takes-him-captive
