WAR: General Dostum Survives Attack, page 1

General Abdul Rashid Dostum, the Afghan Warlord that helped the Coalition topple the Taleban, has survived an attempted assassination by a suicide bomber. The attack took place in the northern Afghan town of Sherberghan, during early morning prayers to mark Eid. The General was uninjured in the attack, which has left around 20 injured.

news.bbc.co.uk
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.

Eyewitnesses said a man dressed as a beggar ran towards the general. But a security guard kicked him, and the man fell two or three metres from General Dostum.

"When the bodyguards stopped him from getting any closer, he blew himself up," one security guard told the Associated Press.

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This assassination attempt clearly shows that the Taleban are still an active force in Afghanistan, and that security, is still, and will continue to be, a major issue for the forseeable future.

However, it should be noted that the Taleban are not the only security fear in the country; rivalries between warlords like Dostum, over things such as the lucrative opium trade, arms, and smuggling, will continue to be a major problem for Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

[edit on 20-1-2005 by Daystar]