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Afghan warlord escapes bomber
Afghan warlord General Abdul Rashid Dostum has escaped an apparent attempt on his life, reports say. He was unhurt when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a mosque in northern Afghanistan where the general had been praying, his aides say. A number of others were wounded in the blast in Shebergan early on Thursday. It is unclear who staged the attack.
 General Dostum is a controversial figure who ran for president last year and helped oust the Taleban in 2001. Thursday's early morning bombing came as General Dostum chatted with well-wishers after prayers at the mosque to mark the Muslim festival of Eid. Aides say the suicide bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body when security guards prevented him from approaching his target. "When the bodyguards stopped him from getting any closer, he blew himself up," one security guard told the Associated Press. Two bodyguards took the force of the explosion, but a number of bystanders are also reported to have been wounded, some seriously. Some reports say General Dostum's brother received minor injuries. The head of a local television station which says it filmed the event told the AFP news agency that the identity of the suicide bomber was still unknown. "General Dostum is safe and sound," Mohammed Yusuf Rawanyar said. General Dostum is a controversial figure with a substantial private army, which is now being reluctantly disarmed and demobilised. A veteran of the war against Soviet troops, he was also part of the force which ousted the Taleban under American command in 2001. Observers say he has displayed an uncanny ability to switch sides and stay on the right side of those in power during his career. The BBC's Paul Anderson says the Taleban have plenty to hold against the warlord - although it is not clear if they had any role in Thursday's attack. The ethnic Uzbek commander is also locked in a bitter rivalry with another northern warlord, Atta Mohammad. Posted by: Steve 2005-01-20 |
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