Afghanistan || Notorious Warlord Dostum Returns From Exile

During the withdrawal of international troops and the advance of the Taliban, the warlord Abdul Raschid Dostum, feared for his brutality, returned to Afghanistan from Turkey. As his spokesman for the AFP news agency said, Dostum arrived for talks with the government in the capital, Kabul. The topic should therefore be security in the northern province of Jausdschan.

Read more: USA Accuses Taliban Of "Horrific Acts Of Violence"

According to his spokesman, Dostum also wanted to meet with President Ashraf Ghani. Dostum is subordinate to one of the largest militias in the north. The ethnic Uzbek has changed sides again and again over the past few decades and was also Vice President under President Ghani between 2014 and 2019.

However, Dostum spent a large part of his tenure in exile in Turkey because he was threatened with trial in Afghanistan for kidnapping, mistreatment and rape. His militia fought the Taliban with extreme brutality in the 1990s.

In parallel with the rapid withdrawal of NATO troops, fierce fighting is raging between government troops and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The Islamists have already conquered large parts of the country, most recently they attacked several provincial capitals.

Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan start troop exercises

The situation is currently particularly serious in Laschkar Gah, the capital of the southern Helmand province. According to the United Nations (UN), dozens of civilians have been killed there in the past few days.

As the Russian army announced, joint exercises by a total of 2,500 Russian, Tajik and Uzbek soldiers began in the face of the Taliban attacks. The exercises will take place on the Charb-Maidon military base, which is around 20 kilometers from the Afghan border, and are expected to last until August 10th. In southern Uzbekistan, on the border with Afghanistan, a maneuver with 1,500 soldiers from the Russian and Uzbek armies has been taking place since the end of July.

Read also: How The World Is Glossing Over Afghanistan

The European Union (EU) sharply criticized the recent attacks by the Taliban and called for a "comprehensive and lasting" ceasefire. "The Taliban's military offensive is in direct contradiction to its declared commitment to a negotiated solution to the conflict," said EU Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Protection Janez Lenarcic.

They violated international law and human rights, among other things through "arbitrary and extrajudicial killings of civilians, public flogging of women and the destruction of infrastructure," it said.

Borrell and Lenarcic spoke out in favor of an investigation into alleged war crimes. The UN Security Council wants to deal with the escalation of the fighting at the end of the week.

Do You Know What we Have Posted on

Twitter Facebook Instagram Reddit tumblr