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He began as a union boss in the 1970s until he formed an Uzbek militia. He supported the Gorbachev-era Communist reforms in Afghanistan. He defended the communist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the United States-backed mujahedin in the 1980s. Although he was only a regional commander, he had largely raised the militia he fought with on his own.
In 1992, he mutinied against the government of Mohammed Najibullah, allying with Ahmed Shah Massoud. Together, they captured Kabul, the Afghan capital.
In 1994, Dostum again switched sides, allying with forces of Gulbuddin HekmatyarGulbuddin Hekmatyar (born 1947 in Imam Saheb, Kunduz province, Afghanistan) is an Afghan warlord. He is a Ghilzai Pashtun of the Kharoti tribe, speaks several languages (including English), has three wives and several children. He has stated that he prefe, in once more laying siege on Kabul, this time against the government of Burhanuddin RabbaniBurhanuddin Rabbani (born 1940), an ethnic Tajik, is the political leader of the Northern Alliance of Afghanistan. In 1992 he became President of the Islamic Council of Afghanistan (and thus effective ruler of the country), until Kabul was captured by the and Massoud.
In 1996, following the rise of the TalibanThe Taliban ( Pashtun: "students of Islam"), also transliterated as Taleban is an Islamist movement which ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, despite having diplomatic recognition from only three countries (the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and their capture of HeratHert is a city in western Afghanistan, in the valley of the Hari Rud river in the province also known as Herat and was traditionally known for wine. The inhabitants are mainly Tajiks. It is an ancient city with many historic buildings, although these have and Kabul, Dostum realigned himself with Rabbani against the Taliban. Along with General Mohammed FahimMohammad Qasim Fahim became the defense minister of the Afghan Transitional Administration in 2002. While holding the position, he continued to command his own militia. However, on December 10, 2003, he ordered part of his militia to transport their weapo and Ismail KhanIsmail Khan (b. 1946) was the governor of Herat province, Afghanistan. During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan of 1979, Khan was an officer in the Afghanistan army, reaching the rank of Mujahedin commander. He has been described as "shrewd, short, and w, Dostum was one of three factional leaders that comprised the Northern AllianceThe Northern Alliance (who prefer the title United Front were a group of factions who had the common goal of toppling the Taliban regime that was formerly in power in Afghanistan. They fought against the Taliban control that had expanded from Kandahar in.
In 2001, he returned from exile on the heels of a U.S.-led bombing campaign that drove the Taliban from power. Since then, he has run parts of the country's north as his own fiefdom, nominally serving as a deputy defense minister in the national government in Kabul but operating almost totally independent of the government.
In November of 2002, the United Nations began an investigation of alleged human rights abuses by Dostum. Witnesses claimed that Dostum jailed and tortured witnesses to prevent them from testifying in a war crimes case. Dostum is also under suspicion for the events of the Dasht-i-Leili massacre.
In March of 2003, he established a North Zone of Afghanistan, against the wishes of interim president Hamid Karzai. On May 20, 2003, Dostum signed an agreement to no longer serve as Karzai's special envoy for the northern regions.
Forces loyal to Dostum continue to clash with forces loyal to Tajik General Atta Mohammed .
Within his areas of control, he encourages women to live and work freely, as well as music, sports, alcohol, and allows for people of other religions. It is claimed that during the civil war he financed his army through opium trading.