Afghanistan - Blast near Kabul airport, returning Vice President Dostum unharmed / Suicide bomber ki
3,662 views · Published 22 December 2018 · 1:00 · Indexed 15 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(15 Aug 2018) STORYLINE Afghanistan's first vice president, a former Uzbek warlord, escaped unharmed from an explosion near Kabul airport as he returned home on July 22nd 2018 after living in Turkey for more than a year, according to security officials. Najib Danish, a spokesman for the interior ministry, said a suicide bomber carried out an attack near the Kabul airport shortly after the country's controversial first vice president landed on his return from abroad. General Abdul Rashid Dostum and members of his entourage were unharmed in the attack on July 22nd, said Danish, adding that authorities were still determining if there were any casualties. Dostum left the country under controversial circumstances in 2017, after the attorney-general's office opened an investigation into allegations that his followers had tortured and sexually abused a former ally turned political rival. Dostum had since reportedly been prevented by the government from returning to Afghanistan. Dostum, accused of war crimes committed after the collapse of the Taliban in 2001, has been criticized by the United States for human rights abuses. *** Afghanistan's first vice president, a former Uzbek warlord, escaped unharmed from an explosion in which 14 people, including both civilians and military forces, were killed and 50 others wounded. General Abdul Rashid Dostum was returning to Afghanistan on July 22nd after living in Turkey for over a year. Najib Danish, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said a suicide bomber carried out the attack near Kabul International Airport shortly after the convoy of the country's controversial first vice president had left the airport. Dostum and his entourage were unharmed, said Danish. The Islamic States group's local affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack on its Amaaq News Agency website. In a statement from the presidential palace, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack. Dostum had been undergoing medical treatment in Turkey, and is now well and ready to resume work, said presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri. Dostum left Afghanistan in 2017 after the attorney-general's office launched an investigation into allegations that his followers had tortured and sexually abused a former ally turned political rival. He has since reportedly been barred by the government from returning to Afghanistan. It was not immediately clear whether Dostum will now face any charges. Dostum, accused of war crimes committed after the fall of the Taliban government in 2001, has also been criticised by the United States for human rights abuses. *** On August 3rd two suicide bombers attacked a Shiite mosque in eastern Afghanistan during Friday prayers, killing at least 29 people and wounding another 81, officials said. Abdullah Asrat, spokesman for the governor of Paktia province, said the heavily armed attackers, disguised in the all-encompassing burkas worn by conservative Afghan women, opened fire on private security guards outside the mosque in the city of Gardez. Then they slipped inside and set off their explosives among around 100 worshippers. Five of the seriously wounded were small children, he said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has targeted Shiite worshippers in the past. The group has also warned Afghanistan's minority Shiites that their houses of worship would be targeted. Syed Sufi Gardezi, the most senior Shiite cleric in Gardez, described a scene of panic and distress outside the Imam-e-Zaman mosque as news of the explosion spread and relatives gathered. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/10a7f0bdedec49b1bdbf04c56fcbb486
