Dostum says he could eliminate Taleban, al-Qaeda

General Abdul Rashid Dostum, the former leader of Junbish-e-Islami Afghanistan and the current chief of staff under the head of the country's armed forces, has said he could eliminate Taleban and al-Qaeda if the government used his troops. Addressing a ceremony in Jowzjan on February 25 at which his supporters surrendered their arms under the DIAG (Disarmament of Illegal Armed Groups) programme, the general said he could help the government root out Taleban if his forces were deployed in the war on terror. Dozens of Dostum’s supporters handed hundreds of weapons over to the government under the disarmament scheme.