Ghani meets with Dostum after more than two years

Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, the former first vice president, met with President Ashraf Ghani on Monday evening, for the first time in more than two and half years.

The two sides discussed the current political and security situation, the Afghan peace process, and the emergence of a national consensus for the success of the process, Dostum’s office said in a statement.

According to the statement, the two sides emphasized preserving the hard-won achievements of the past 20 years.

Dostum briefed Ghani of the security situation in Kabul and Northern provinces, stating: “Practical plans are needed for the clearance of the Faryab-Mazar and Kunduz-Kabul highways.”

Meanwhile, Ghani welcomed Dostum’s security plans and called for the ideas to be implemented.

The meeting comes after Dostum returned to Kabul in late February after a 20-month absence.

Dostum was welcomed back by Abdullah Abdullah Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Presidential Advisor for Security and Political Affairs, and several prominent Afghan figures at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai Airport.