President Ghani met with Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, the former Vice President, who is a prominent Uzbek leader, on Saturday, August 07, at the Presidential Palace.
They discussed the security situation in Afghanistan, especially the deteriorating situation in the northern provinces of the country.
A statement published by the Presidential Palace quoted Dostum as saying “it is time to stand alongside the security and defense forces [and] improve the security situation in the country, defend the values, and stand against the enemy.”
Meanwhile, Ehsan Niro, a spokesman for the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, a party led by Dostum, has said that Marshal Dostum has suggested the President to declare a state of emergency.
Dostum has called on the President to convene an emergency security meeting to review the security situation.
Niro told Kabul Now that Dostum has suggested 500 special forces to be stationed in Sheberghan a field command office to be set up at Sheberghan airport.
Marshal Dostum has warned that the five northern provinces will slip on the verge of falling if the security situation in Sheberghan is not brought under control.
He has also expressed concern about the security situation in Kabul, especially the security of Hamid Karzai International Airport in the capital.
Dostum further suggested that the security belts in Kabul must be strengthened and controlled by security and defense forces. According to Niro, he also shared a plan for securing Kabul airport with President Ghani during the meeting.
The meeting comes as the Taliban claimed that they have taken control over Sheberghan city, the provincial capital for Jawzjan, and the hometown of Marshal Dostum.
