Afghanistan Turning To Russia For Help

Afghan First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum (left) meets with Chechnya's Ramzan Kadyrov in Grozny on October 5.

VOA: Snubbed by US, Afghan Warlord Looked to Russia

For decades, Afghanistan’s Abdul Rashid Dostum has been a powerful player in the remote north of the restive country.

As an army general and warlord, he aligned himself with America’s CIA when the Taliban was in power and helped the U.S. oust the militant group in 2001.

But now as Afghan vice president, Dostum is trying to show he remains a power broker. Last fall, he visited Chechnya and reportedly solicited arms for the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group in Afghanistan. He stopped in Moscow to renew ties with the Kremlin.

And he told Voice of America that he also wants to visit the U.S. to discuss the Afghan government’s continuing struggle against the Taliban, IS, drug trafficking, and political uncertainty.

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WNU Editor: Russia is cooperating with the Afghan military/government .... Russia, Afghanistan Set 'Legal Foundation' in Military Cooperation (Sputink) .... but their connections with Abdul Rashid Dostum apparently go back a long way .... Afghanistan's Dostum Turns To Old Ally Russia For Help (RFE).