Afghan power deal hands top military post to man accused of torturing rival

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Afghan power deal hands top military post to man accused of torturing rival

Presidential challengers Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah agree to share power

Emma Graham-Harrison and Akhtar Mohammad Makoii in Herat
Sun 17 May 2020 14.55 BST
First published on Sun 17 May 2020 00.29 BST

Afghanistan’s months-long dispute over who won last year’s presidential election has ended after the incumbent, Ashraf Ghani, and his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, agreed a power-sharing deal.

Controversially, the deal makes the former vice-president, Abdul Rashid Dostum, who is accused of ordering the torture and rape of a political rival, marshal of the Afghan armed forces and a senior government official.

The deal comes after heavy pressure from the US to resolve the eight-month standoff at the top of Afghan politics, to smooth the way for a new administration to start US-brokered peace talks with the Taliban.

The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, withdrew $1bn in aid after the two long-term rivals refused to compromise and held parallel presidential inaugurations a few hundred metres apart earlier this year.

Ghani is to stay on as president, but give Abdullah control of half the cabinet posts and leadership of the office managing a US-brokered peace process, where he will have five deputies.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/16/afghan-rivals-power-sharing-deal-would-promote-official-accused-of-and-torture

[abqtommy]

1. Lotta torture in the world, isn't there, CIA? cough cough Abu Graib... ad nauseum.