EurasiaNet Recaps - Northern Afghan Warlord Comments on Regional Violence

RECAPS

NORTHERN AFGHAN WARLORD COMMENTS ON REGIONAL VIOLENCE

Camelia Entekhabi-Fard 6/27/02
A Q&A with Adbul Rashid Dostum

Northern Afghanistan in recent weeks has been the scene of rising violence. International relief organizations have expressed concern about the safety of aid workers in the face of banditry by armed bandit groups. On June 26, one international aid official � James Morris, head of the World Food Program � called for the deployment of UN security forces in the region to help ensure that emergency food deliveries can be completed.

A major element of the security dilemma in Northern Afghanistan, as well as in most areas outside of Kabul, is that warlordism remains prevalent. The central government has yet to exert effective control over Afghanistan’s regions, leaving warlords, backed by their own militias, to govern territory under their control like a fiefdom.

The region’s most prominent warlord � Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek � spoke to EurasiaNet contributor Camelia Entekhabi-Far about security conditions in northern areas, and other issues relating to rebuilding Afghanistan’s shattered political and economic infrastructure. In an earlier interview, Dostum, who served as a deputy defense minister in the former Afghan interim administration, said he would welcome the presence of international peacekeeping forces in the region to help curb lawlessness. Dostum told EurasiaNet: "I am tired" of conflict. The full text of his comments follows:

EurasiaNet: There have been several instances of violence committed against foreigners in recent weeks, can you comment on these incidents?
Dostum: There were two cases. One was at Tash Khorghan. There, one French citizen and American lady were attacked by some local bandits. The other case was money robbed from the UN emergency fund. I am really upset about these cases. I had meetings with [President Hamid] Karzai and [Defense Minister Mohammed] Fahim. � I told them I would immediately leave Kabul to restore the security here. [Dostum returned to Mazar from Kabul on June 25]. Also I suggested that a security commander from Kabul come to Mazar and stay here and take the responsibility.

EurasiaNet: Is it true that the United Nations wants to pull out its staff from Mazar?
Dostum: There was such talk from them. We had to explain to them what the situation in Mazar really was. The conditions here are not that bad. There is no dangerous war or conflict to warrant a pullout of the UN staff at this time.

EurasiaNet: Do you think the attacks against the international agencies were politically motivated, perhaps to embarrass you?
Dostum: Yes I think they were. There are some who are always making up malicious stories against me. For example, during the Loya Jirga, suddenly they circulated stories about human rights [abuses] in Mazar. Of course they never mentioned that we were the first group to attack the Taliban and al Qaeda. That was the Northern Alliance. We freed five provinces in one day. This is our honor, something that cannot be forgotten. Still, they try to smear us.

EurasiaNet: Are your forces ready to be integrated into the National Army?
Dostum: As I told Mr. Karzai and our friends in the American and British militaries, we are ready to do all we can. But it is not as simple as it sounds. For example, most of the fighters we and other commanders have are not all that young. Many of these men have been fighting all of their adult life in a particular movement. Their whole life and their whole identity is formed by associating with that movement. Now if we suddenly tell them to forget about their identity and their past life, it is not going to be easy. If you look at all the militia members in Afghanistan, you see that their attitudes, their age and their whole outlook is very dissimilar.

We probably need to start from scratch, recruiting 18 year olds, and prepare them for a single national Army. Of course, even that is not going to be easy. What are we going to do with the old fighters? Many of them have done nothing but fighting. That is all they know. We need to have special provisions for them. For example, there has to be opportunities for them to find training in new trades, which means huge investments in reconstruction. Then we could give them letters of appreciation and wish them well. Not before that.

When I brought this up in the Defense Commission, maybe 70 percent of the participants agreed with me.

EurasiaNet: During the Loya Jirga you seemed rather quiet, even sullen.
Dostum: For the first time after 23 years, all representatives of our people came to the Loya Jirga to decide the future of our country. That was a great achievement. But I must confess that after the first couple of days, I was very worried. Here in the North we had talked with 300 or 400 members of our delegation about having a common tactic in the Loya Jirga. We had decided that if there was chaos or a major disruption, we should stop it by mediating among groups even if that meant we had to forget about our own interests.

Thank God there was no such disruption. But that was why our delegation from North was generally fairly quiet . We didn’t talk very much. Of course, we did have our own demands, specifically having a Parliament. If we intend to rebuild a new Afghanistan, how can we hope to do it without a Parliament? All the countries that are moving to democracy or have it already, have a parliament. I will personally keep insisting on that. They told me that the government cannot afford to pay for the expenses of 160 parliament members, that they all are going to need apartments and cars, that this was beyond the government’s means. I told them what 160 cars and apartments? They could all stay at one building and for transportation they could have a bus and go back and forth together like before. We are paying a lot of money for buying helicopters and tanks at this time. A tank could cost the treasury up to $2 million. What is more important right now? Could one tank have more of an impact than having a parliament?

At the Loya Jirga, they discussed everything from who takes what post to taxes to al Qaeda. But you know, not one person said a word of thanks for all those who had died for liberating the country. Nobody mentioned the terrible conditions our fighters had died in, with no access to medical care. Nobody mentioned how we had to move our dead with horses. These people who criticized us and chose to ignore our sacrifices. Well, these people can’t hide the truth. I think the sun’s bright enough not to be hidden from view for long.

EurasiaNet: Have you had any discussions about income from taxes with Karzai?
Dostum: Our income was good before, but now it is not very much. Because of the road condition to Kabul, businessmen are not interested in investing. We have had no more than a handful so far. I’m sure in the future we’ll have good income again. Anyway, we had a talk with Karzai. We will send all our income to the Central Bank, and the central government would then pay our expenses. Now it’s about $100,000 to $200,000 per month.

Editor�s Note: Camelia Entekhabi-Fard is a journalist who specializes in Afghan and Iranian affairs. She is currently in Afghanistan reporting for EurasiaNet.

The Central Eurasia Project aims, through its website, meetings, papers, and grants, to foster a more informed debate about the social, political and economic developments of the Caucasus and Central Asia. It is a program of the Open Society Institute-New York. The Open Society Institute-New York is a private operating and grantmaking foundation that promotes the development of open societies around the world by supporting educational, social, and legal reform, and by encouraging alternative approaches to complex and controversial issues.

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the position of the Open Society Institute and are the sole responsibility of the author or authors.