Second Part
Writer: Ismail Yaqoobi
His name is Abdul Rashid, son of Abdul Rahim. He was born in Khwaja Du Koh district of Jawzjan province and was from the Uzbek Kazaq tribe. Like most warlords of the time, he had little education and only studied up to the sixth grade at Khwaja Du Koh School.
He grew up in a peasant family; therefore, from childhood, after school and lessons, he worked alongside his father in the fields and, from the very beginning, became familiar with the hardships of life.
Dostum was hired in 1358 Solar Hijri as a laborer in the Sheberghan oil and gas exploration and worked for three years in the tower drilling section.
Since he addressed his friends and colleagues as “Dostum” (my friend), this catchphrase gradually became his nickname, and he later became known by this name.
At a time when the responsibility for the Parcham faction in Jawzjan province was on the shoulders of Sayed Ikram, Dostum was recruited into the Parcham branch of the People’s Democratic Party by one of the staunch and obedient Parcham members of that era.
With the starting jihad and resistance against the Russians and their puppet government, the fledgling Seventh of Sawr government frantically resorted to conscription, which is why a large number of naive young people were placed in its ranks.
At the same time, the Parchams, sensing betrayal and espionage in Dostum’s blood, promoted him from a simple worker to the rank of state security soldier. The Khadistans used his recruitment during the general conscription as an excuse so that it wouldn’t be ambiguous or raise questions later.
After a short time, and with Dostum’s loyalty to the then communist government becoming apparent, he was appointed as the company commander and then as the battalion commander of state security.
In 1365, Dostum demonstrated remarkable intelligence activities and, with the help of Sayed Ikram and at the order of the Russians, formed the 53rd Infantry Division and became its commander. At the same time, he was also awarded the rank of brigadier general.
In recent years, Dostum, leveraging his close ties with local officials and foreign occupying forces, has been able to expand his political influence and power in Jawzjan and surrounding provinces.
Throughout this period, taking advantage of the central government’s weakness and regional unrest, he quickly organized a network of allies and loyal forces to solidify his position as a faithful servant of the Russians and their mercenaries.
Dostum’s activities were not limited to military matters; he was also trying to control economic affairs and local resources.
For this reason, by establishing financial and military relations with the Russians and some local figures, he gradually consolidated his power not only in the security sphere but also in the politics and economy of the region.
This period in my Dostum’s life marked the beginning of a major transformation in his journey as a key player in Afghan politics and devastating civil wars; a role that, in shaping military factions and political and intelligence networks, laid the foundations for widespread influence, the effects of which were still evident in Afghanistan’s developments decades later.
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