Afghan Presidential Candidate Abdul Rashid Dostum At His Compound

SHEBERGHAN, AFGHANISTAN - SEPTEMBER 21: Afghan presidential candidate Abdul Rashid Dostum, 49, speaks to Jawzjan provincial business and tribal leaders September 21, 2004 in Sheberghan, Afghanistan. Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek, is one of 18 candidates in the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for October 9, 2004. Dostum is a former militia leader and commander and has been a major power holder in the north of Afghanistan for the past 15 years. He is a former Communist military commander and quite secular compared to the rest of the Afghan presidential candidates. He is trying to change from a regional militia commander and warlord to a proponent of democracy. Dostum faces numerous charges, which he denies, of human rights violations from the past 15 years of military rule. Dostum strongly opposed the late 1990's Taliban rule and assisted American Special Forces in evicting them after the October 2001 US invasion of northern Afghanistan. Dostum wears a traditional northern Afghan "chaupan" jacket. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)