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| Afghanistan |
| Dostum begins disarmament in north |
| 2003-08-04 |
| Afghan warlord and Deputy Defence Minister Abdul Rashid Dostam has started to disarm some of his thousands of militiamen in northern Afghanistan where factional clashes have left dozens dead. Around 1,000 fighters were disarmed at the weekend, Dostam told reporters Sunday in Aqcha in his home province of Jawzjan, 380 kilometres (240 miles) northwest of Kabul. Rifles and ammunition were collected from the militiamen in five Jawzjan districts and brought to Aqcha for transportation to Mazar-i-Sharif, northern Afghanistan’s main city, 100 kilometres (62miles) to the east. Where they had a little work accident. Dostam said the disarmed men were likely to be sent to Kabul to join the new Afghan army, which currently numbers 5,500 against a planned eventual strength of 70,000. "Don’t worry, boys. The Army will give you a brand new shooting iron when you join up." Dostam’s efforts are separate from an internationally-backed national program to disarm, demobilise and reintegrate some 100,000 militiamen across Afghanistan. Dostam, an Uzbek warlord and former communist general, said he had appointed 200 militiamen to take responsibility for security in the five disarmed districts. "Disarmed" in Afghanistan means only one crew-served weapon per household. |
| Posted by:Steve |