Dostum -

: After the Taliban took Kabul in 1996, he joined the Northern Alliance to resist their rule. Role in Operation Enduring Freedom

: He famously partnered with CIA and U.S. Special Forces (ODA 595), conducting cavalry charges against Taliban tanks while receiving U.S. air support. Dostum

Dostum was a critical U.S. ally during the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan: : After the Taliban took Kabul in 1996,

Dostum’s career is defined by shifting alliances and military survival over four decades of conflict: his forces captured this strategic city

: On November 9, 2001, his forces captured this strategic city, which triggered the rapid collapse of the first Taliban regime. Political Career and Exile