AfghanistanÂ’s attorney general has suspended militia leader Abdul Rashid Dostum from his government post for not cooperating with an investigation into a raid on a rival, an official said on Tuesday.
Dostum, one of the most ruthless warlords to emerge from AfghanistanÂ’s decades of conflict, holds the largely symbolic post of chief of staff to the militaryÂ’s commander-in-chief, President Hamid Karzai. The leader of AfghanistanÂ’s ethnic Uzbek minority, Dostum has been accused of assaulting, with his men, a former ally and rival, Akbar Bai, and some of the manÂ’s relatives on February 3, said Rahmatullah Nazari, head of documentation in the attorney generalÂ’s office.
The incident led dozens of police to surround Dostum’s house in a tense standoff which authorities said ended only when the general agreed to cooperate with an investigation. “Based on a petition by Akbar Bai and police reports, Dostum is accused of attacking and beating Akbar Bai,” Nazari said.
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