KABUL—Afghanistan’s vice president escaped unhurt from a suicide bombing Sunday at a police checkpoint near the Kabul airport.

Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, the powerful former warlord, who has been accused of human rights violations, was returning home after more than a year of exile in Turkey.

The explosion killed 19 people and left 60 others...</s>The U.S. State Department once referred to General Dostum as a 'quintessential warlord.' He is accused of numerous wartime atrocities.

Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum returned home on Saturday to cheering supporters and high-ranking officials and escaped possible harm from a suicide bomber by minutes. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack outside the Kabul airport where Dostum landed. The blast killed at least 14 and injured at least 50 more, according to Reuters.

His arrival marked the end of his exile to Turkey over a year ago for accusations that he issued orders for the kidnapping and rape of a political rival, which he denies. Hashmat Estankzai, of the Kabul police, told reporters that the suicide bomber had positioned himself outside the airport’s gate. Reports vary as to whether Dostum had already departed or was in the process of departing when the blast went off.

BBC reports that the abuse of Dostum’s former ally, Ahmad Eshchi, is one example of the atrocities for which the vice president is believed to be responsible. Esnchi has described beatings that stretched across days, as well as violent sexual assaults that were ordered by Dostum. Ten men and his former friend participated in the abuse that allegedly took place at Dostum’s home in late 2016. The Afghan vice president denies the charges and has blamed Afghanistan’s intelligence service for Eshchi’s experience.

The U.S. State Department once referred to Dostum as a “quintessential warlord.” Among the allegations against him are charges that he killed Taliban prisoners by locking them in cargo containers without air. He has also denied those accusations.

He has also denied that he was exiled to Turkey, claiming that he, instead, was there for medical attention.

General Dostum left the airport in an armored vehicle and traveled to his office compound to speak to a crowd of supporters who had been waiting hours for his arrival. In his speech, he briefly mentioned the attack at the Kabul airport. Among the subjects he spoke about was his support for peace talks with the Taliban and a plea for elections free of “fraud.”

During his time in Turkey, he found two new allies who joined him in Kabul on Saturday. Atta Mohammad Noor is a powerful figure among ethnic Tajiks, and Mohammad Mohaqiq is a leader of the Hazara minority. He described their alliance as one intended to build “common support for the system.”

It’s believed that President Ashfar Ghani arranged for the return of the exiled leader. He said Saturday that the charges against Dostum would be dealt with through independent legal means.</s>Kabul: An explosion near Kabul's international airport killed 11 people, injured 14 on Sunday, officials said, shortly after Afghan vice-president Abdul Rashid Dostum returned to the country after more than a year in exile. Scores of senior government officials, political leaders and supporters had gathered at the airport to greet the powerful ethnic Uzbek leader and former warlord, clad in a Western suit and sunglasses.

An explosion was heard as the convoy of vehicles was departing. But Dostum, who was travelling in an armoured vehicle, was unharmed, said his spokesman Bashir Ahmad Tayanj. "The blast was probably caused by a suicide bomber," said interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish, adding there were an unknown number of casualties. Dostum, who is linked to a catalogue of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, was mobbed like a celebrity as he left the chartered plane from Turkey where he has lived since May 2017.

His return, which has been the subject of much speculation, comes amid violent protests in several provinces across northern Afghanistan, his traditional power base. Thousands of Dostum's supporters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, shuttering election and government offices and blocking sections of highways to demand the release of a pro-government militia leader and call for Dostum's return.

Expectations of the return did little to quell the unrest, with protesters vowing today to continue demonstrating until the burly leader of the Uzbek ethnic minority tells them otherwise.

"We don't trust the government. We will continue our protests unless General Dostum tells us to stop," Ehsanullah Qowanch, a protest leader in Faryab province, told AFP. Qowanch also repeated calls for the release of Nezamuddin Qaisari — a district police chief and Dostum's provincial representative in Faryab — whose arrest earlier this month ignited the protests. Another protester, Massoud Khan, said: "We have been on the streets for 20 days now. We are not going to stop our protests unless our demands are met."

Observers say President Ashraf Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, gave the green light for Dostum to come home to stabilise the north and secure Uzbek support before next year's presidential election, which he is widely expected to contest.

Dostum left Afghanistan in May 2017 after he was accused of organising the rape and torture of a political rival. He had denied the allegations and said his departure was for medical check-ups and family reasons. Ghani in 2009 described Dostum as a "known killer". Yet he chose him as his running mate in the 2014 presidential election, underlining the sometimes uncomfortable ethnic realities of Afghan politics.

Presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said Saturday that Dostum had been "treated" and would resume his duties upon his return.

Seven of Dostum's bodyguards have been convicted of the sexual assault and illegal imprisonment of Ahmad Ishchi, a former governor of the northern province of Jowzjan, in 2016. Dostum allegedly had Ishchi abducted in Jowzjan and then kept him hostage in his private compound for several days, where the captive was said to have been tortured and sodomised.

Chakhansuri deflected questions about whether Dostum would face charges over the incident, saying "the judiciary is an independent body, the government does not interfere in their decisions".

 Dostum is one of several controversial figures whom Kabul has sought to reintegrate into mainstream politics since the US-led invasion in 2001. His heroic status in the north belies the barbarities for which he is known.

Dostum, who helped the United States oust the Taliban regime in 2001, allegedly allowed hundreds of Taliban prisoners to be suffocated in shipping containers.</s>Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum narrowly escaped a deadly suicide bombing at Kabul airport as he returned home from more than a year in exile in Turkey over allegations of torturing and abusing a political rival.

Afghan officials said Dostum, a powerful former warlord, had left the airport in a motorcade only minutes before the blast struck at the entrance of the airport on July 22, killing at least 11 people.

Dostum was unharmed, said his spokesman, Bashir Ahmad Tayanj.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both the Taliban and the Islamic State (IS) extremist group are active in the Afghan capital.

Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai said at least 11 people had been killed and 14 wounded, including both civilians and members of the security forces. He did not give a breakdown.

“The blast happened right after Dostum’s convoy left the airport,” said Stanekzai.

Mohib Zeer, an official from the public health ministry, also confirmed that 11 people were killed in the attack.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the explosion was “caused by a suicide attacker on foot.”

Hundreds of Dostum’s supporters had gathered at the entrance of Kabul airport to welcome home the ethnic Uzbek leader from exile.

Dostum returned to Kabul after more than a year in self-imposed exile in Turkey amid claims that he had ordered his men to abduct, beat, and rape a political rival in 2017.

Dostum had been undergoing medical treatment in Turkey, was now well, and would resume work, presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said.

Dostum left the country in 2017, after the attorney general’s office opened an investigation into allegations that his followers had tortured and sexually abused Ahmad Ischi, a former political ally from Dostum’s Junbesh party.

Dostum had denied the allegations and said his departure was for medical checkups and family reasons.

It was not clear whether Dostum will face charges.

A deputy government spokesman told RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan on July 21 that “legal matters will be pursued according to the law.”

Dostum is a controversial figure who has been accused of serious human rights violations, including the deaths of hundreds of Taliban prisoners in 2001 in the custody of his militia forces.

With reporting by Radio Free Afghanistan, Reuters, AP, AFP, and ToloNews

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.</s>Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum narrowly escaped a suicide bomb attack at Kabul airport as he returned home on Sunday from more than a year in exile in Turkey over allegations of torturing and abusing a political rival.

Dostum, who left Afghanistan last year after heavy pressure from Western donors including the United States, drove away from the airport in a motorcade only minutes before the explosion, which police said killed at least 14 people and wounded more than 50.

He was unharmed in the blast, which was claimed by Islamic State, and made only brief mention of it when he met cheering supporters who had been waiting for hours to give him a red carpet reception at a rally at his office compound.

However, the incident underlined the increasingly volatile and unstable political climate in Kabul ahead of parliamentary elections in October that are seen as a dry run for more important presidential elections early next year.

Dostum backed calls for peace talks with the Taliban and thanked Afghanistan’s international partners for their help while calling on Afghans to register for the elections.

“Any fraud in this election will lead the country to a serious and dangerous crisis,” he said.

Dostum’s triumphant return was in stark contrast to the outrage he faced after reports in 2016 that his guards had seized political rival Ahmad Eshchi and subjected him to beatings, torture and violent sexual abuse.

He denied Eshchi’s accusations but, amid international demands that he face justice to show that powerful political leaders were not above the law, he left the country in May last year, saying he needed to seek medical treatment in Turkey.

Even in exile, he remained a powerful figure with wide support among his fellow ethnic Uzbeks in northern Afghanistan. While in Turkey, he also formed an alliance with two other powerful leaders, Atta Mohammad Noor, a major force among ethnic Tajiks and Mohammad Mohaqiq, a leader of the Hazara minority, both of whom joined him in Kabul on Sunday.

“Of course, the aim of this coalition was never an anti-government move or against the system. On the contrary, it was aimed at building common support for the system,” he said.

President Ashraf Ghani now faces the challenge of reintegrating Dostum, an ally in the disputed 2014 election who helped deliver the ethnic Uzbek vote but a volatile and unpredictable partner ever since.

On Saturday, Ghani’s spokesman said accusations against Dostum would be dealt with by independent legal authorities.

Dostum’s return followed more than two weeks of sometimes violent demonstrations by supporters demanding the release of one of his militia commanders who was arrested following a dispute with officers in the regular security forces.

In remarks to his supporters, he made a brief reference to the commander, Nizamuddin Qaisari, who remains in custody pending an investigation. But Dostum also called on protesters who had blocked roads and government offices in northern Afghanistan to end their demonstrations.

Once referred to as a “quintessential warlord” by the U.S. State Department, Dostum has long been accused of serious human rights abuses. Shortly after the U.S.-led campaign in 2001, he was accused of killing Taliban prisoners by leaving them locked in airless cargo containers. He has denied the accusations.</s>KABUL, July 22 (Reuters) - Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum narrowly escaped a suicide bomb attack at Kabul airport as he returned home on Sunday from more than a year in exile in Turkey over allegations of torturing and abusing a political rival.

Dostum, who left Afghanistan last year after heavy pressure from Western donors including the United States, had exited the airport in a motorcade only minutes before the explosion, which police said killed at least 14 people and wounded more than 50.

He was unharmed in the blast. A little over a mile from where the attack took place, cheering supporters who had been waiting for hours gave him a red carpet reception at a rally at his office compound.

However, the incident underlined the increasingly volatile and unstable political climate in Kabul ahead of parliamentary elections in October that are seen as a dry run for more important presidential elections early next year.

Dostum's triumphant return was in stark contrast to the outrage he faced after reports in 2016 that his guards had seized political rival Ahmad Eshchi and subjected him to beatings, torture and violent sexual abuse.

He denied Eshchi's accusations but, amid international demands that he face justice to show that powerful political leaders were not above the law, he left the country in May last year, ostensibly to seek medical treatment in Turkey.

Even in exile, he remained a powerful figure with wide support among his fellow ethnic Uzbeks in northern Afghanistan. While in Turkey, he also formed an alliance with two other powerful leaders, Atta Mohammad Noor, a major force among ethnic Tajiks and Mohammad Mohaqiq, a leader of the Hazara minority both of whom joined him in Kabul on Sunday.

President Ashraf Ghani now faces the challenge of reintegrating Dostum, an ally in the disputed 2014 election who helped deliver the ethnic Uzbek vote but a volatile and unpredictable partner.

Dostum's return followed more than two weeks of sometimes violent demonstrations by supporters demanding the release of one of his militia commanders who was arrested following a dispute with officers in the regular security forces.

In remarks to his supporters, he made a brief reference to the commander, Nizamuddin Qaisari, who remains in custody pending an investigation. But Dostum also called on protesters who had blocked roads and government offices in northern Afghanistan to end their demonstrations.

Once referred to as a "quintessential warlord" by the U.S. State Department, Dostum has long been accused of serious human rights abuses. Shortly after the U.S.-led campaign in 2001, he was accused of killing Taliban prisoners by leaving them locked in airless cargo containers. He has denied the accusations. (Writing by James Mackenzie Editing by Dale Hudson and David Goodman)</s>KABUL, Afghanistan -- Fourteen people were killed when a suicide bomber carried out an attack near Kabul's airport in Afghanistan on Sunday, authorities said. They said the blast narrowly missed the country's vice president who was returning home after living in Turkey for more than a year.

Najib Danish, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the blast occurred near Kabul International Airport shortly after the convoy of the controversial vice president had just left the airport.

Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former Uzbek warlord, and his entourage were unharmed, said Danish. Fourteen people, including both civilians and military forces, were killed in the attack and 50 others wounded, police said.

The Islamic States of Iraq and Syria's (ISIS) local affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack on its Amaaq News Agency website, claiming it had killed and wounded over 115 people. The attacker set off his explosives just outside the airport's gate, police spokesperson Hashmat Stanikzai told BBC News.

In a statement from the presidential palace, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack. Dostum had been undergoing medical treatment in Turkey, and is now well and ready to resume work, said presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri.

Dostum left Afghanistan in 2017 after the attorney-general's office launched an investigation into allegations that his followers had tortured and sexually abused a former ally turned political rival. He has since reportedly been barred by the government from returning to Afghanistan.

It was not immediately clear whether Dostum will now face any charges.

"The judiciary in Afghanistan is an independent body and will carry out its duties and responsibilities as it deems appropriate," said an official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the issue.

Dostum, accused of war crimes committed after the fall of the Taliban government in 2001, has also been criticized by the United States for human rights abuses.</s>At least 14 people have been killed and more than 40 wounded in a suicide bomb blast near Kabul’s international airport that struck minutes after Afghan Vice President Rashid Dostum returned to the country from more than a year in exile, police said.

Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai said the blast on Sunday went off near the main airport entrance, where supporters had been waiting to greet Dostum as his motorcade passed on its way to the city centre.

Dostum, who was travelling in an armoured vehicle, was unharmed in the blast, which was claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

“The blast happened right after Dostum’s convoy left the airport,” said Stanekzai.

Civilians, including a child, and security force members were among the casualties, according to Najib Danish, interior ministry spokesman.

He added that the suicide bomber was identified by police but he detonated his explosive vest before he could be safely apprehended.

 Dostum’s return

Dostum, who is linked to a number of of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, was mobbed like a celebrity as he left the chartered plane from Turkey where he has lived since May 2017.

Dostum’s triumphant return was in stark contrast to the outrage he faced after reports in 2016 that his guards had seized political rival Ahmad Eshchi and subjected him to beatings, torture and violent sexual abuse.

He denied Eshchi’s accusations but, amid international demands that he face justice to show that powerful political leaders were not above the law, he left the country in May last year, saying he needed to seek medical treatment in Turkey.

On Saturday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s spokesman said accusations against Dostum would be dealt with by independent legal authorities.

Once referred to as a “quintessential warlord” by the US State Department, Dostum has long been accused of serious human rights abuses.

Shortly after the US-led campaign in 2001, he was accused of killing Taliban prisoners by leaving them locked in airless cargo containers. He has denied the accusations.

Even in exile, Dostum remained a powerful figure with wide support among his fellow ethnic Uzbeks in northern Afghanistan.

Ghani now faces the challenge of reintegrating Dostum, an ally in the disputed 2014 election who helped deliver the ethnic Uzbek vote but a volatile and unpredictable partner ever since.

“I think the rehabilitation of General Dostum is a traditional part of the Afghan election season,” Jarrett Blanc, senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC, told Al Jazeera.

“It happened prior to the 2009 election and of cause it famously happened when President Ghani selected him to be first vice-president in 2013 and it’s happening again this year.

“By being the one bold enough to ask General Dostum to be his first vice-president, he was able to signal to all the power brokers in Afghanistan that he was somebody to be reckoned with and to launch himself to the second round and then into the presidency,” Blanc said.

Dostum’s return followed more than two weeks of demonstrations by supporters demanding the release of one of his militia commanders who was arrested following a dispute with officers in the regular security forces.

In remarks to his supporters, he made a brief reference to the commander, Nizamuddin Qaisari, who remains in custody pending an investigation.

But Dostum also called on protesters who had blocked roads and government offices in northern Afghanistan to end their demonstrations.</s>Afghan security forces help an injured colleague after a suicide attack in Kabul on July 22, 2018.

KABUL - A suicide bomber killed at least 14 people and wounded 60 at the entrance to Kabul international airport on Sunday (July 22) , officials said, as scores gathered to welcome home Afghan Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum from exile.

Senior government officials, political leaders and supporters were leaving the airport after greeting the powerful ethnic Uzbek leader and former warlord when the explosion happened.

"This is the first time I have seen a suicide attack," one witness told AFP.

"People were collecting human flesh with their hands," he said, shaking as he spoke. "What is going on in Afghanistan?"

Dostum, clad in a Western suit and sunglasses and travelling in an armoured vehicle, was unharmed, his spokesman Bashir Ahmad Tayanj said.

Kabul Police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said 14 people had been killed and 60 others wounded, adding that nine members of the security forces and traffic police were among the dead.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria group claimed responsibility for the attack through its official Amaq news agency late Saturday, according to the SITE intelligence monitoring group.

The suicide bomber was on foot, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said, adding that civilians, including a child, and security force members were among the casualties.

Dostum, who is linked to a catalogue of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, was mobbed like a celebrity as he left the chartered plane from Turkey, where he has lived since May 2017.

His return, which has been the subject of much speculation, comes amid violent protests in several provinces across northern Afghanistan, his traditional power base.

Thousands of Dostum's supporters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, shuttering election and government offices and blocking sections of highways to demand the release of a pro-government militia leader and to call for Dostum's return.

Expectations of the return did little to quell the unrest, with protesters vowing Sunday to continue demonstrating until the burly leader of the Uzbek ethnic minority tells them otherwise.

"We don't trust the government. We will continue our protests unless General Dostum tells us to stop," Ehsanullah Qowanch, a protest leader in Faryab province, told AFP.

Qowanch also repeated calls for the release of Nezamuddin Qaisari - a district police chief and Dostum's provincial representative in Faryab - whose arrest earlier this month ignited the protests.

Another protester, Massoud Khan, said: "We have been on the streets for 20 days now. We are not going to stop our protests unless our demands are met." .

Observers say President Ashraf Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, gave the green light for Dostum to come home to stabilise the north and secure Uzbek support before next year's presidential election, which he is widely expected to contest.

Dostum left Afghanistan in May 2017 after he was accused of organising the rape and torture of a political rival.

He had denied the allegations and said his departure was for medical check-ups and family reasons.

Ghani in 2009 described Dostum as a "known killer", yet he chose him as his running mate in the 2014 presidential election, underlining the sometimes uncomfortable ethnic realities of Afghan politics.

Presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri said Saturday that Dostum had been "treated" and would resume his duties upon his return.

Seven of Dostum's bodyguards have been convicted of the sexual assault and illegal imprisonment of Ahmad Ishchi, a former governor of the northern province of Jowzjan, in 2016.

Dostum allegedly had Ishchi abducted in Jowzjan and then kept him hostage in his private compound for several days, where the captive was said to have been tortured and sodomised.

Chakhansuri deflected questions about whether Dostum would face charges over the incident, saying "the judiciary is an independent body, the government does not interfere in their decisions".

Dostum is one of several controversial figures whom Kabul has sought to reintegrate into mainstream politics since the US-led invasion in 2001.

His heroic status in the north belies the barbarities for which he is known.

Dostum, who helped the United States oust the Taliban regime in 2001, allegedly allowed hundreds of Taliban prisoners to be suffocated in shipping containers.</s>The Latest on developments in Afghanistan (all times local):

Hashmat Stanekzai, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said that 11 people, including both civilians and military forces, have been killed in the suicide attack near Kabul's airport shortly after the country's controversial first vice president landed on his return from abroad.

Mohib Zeer, an official form the public health ministry, also confirmed that 11 people were killed in the attack and 48 others wounded.

Vice President Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, the likely the target of the attack, escaped unharmed.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion, but both Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in the Afghan capital.

An Afghan spokesman says there has been a large explosion near the Kabul airport shortly after the country's controversial first vice president landed on his return from abroad.

Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum and members of his entourage were unharmed in the explosion on Sunday, which took place as his convoy had already left the airport.

The Interior Ministry's spokesman, Najib Danish, says the explosion took place outside of the airport. It was unclear what had caused it.

Danish says that Dostum was likely the target of the attack.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion, but both Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in the Afghan capital.

An Afghan spokesman says the country's first vice president, a former Uzbek warlord, is returning home after more than a year of living in Turkey.

Presidential spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri says Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum is expected to return to Kabul on Sunday afternoon.

He says Dostum had been undergoing medical treatment in Turkey, was now well and would resume work.

Dostum left the country under controversial circumstances in 2017, after the attorney-general's office opened an investigation into allegations that his followers had tortured and sexually abused a former ally turned political rival.

Dostum had since reportedly been prevented by the government from returning to Afghanistan.

Dostum, accused of war crimes committed after the collapse of the Taliban in 2001, has been criticized by the United States for human rights abuses.
An ISIL suicide bomber kills 14 people and wounds over 60 others at a police checkpoint near Hamid Karzai International Airport. The attack coincides with Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum returning to Afghanistan after more than a year in exile in Turkey. Dostum and his entourage are unwounded.