NATO Mission Denies Reports German Troops Turned Away Afghan Official’s Plane

German forces with the NATO mission in Afghanistan did not turn Afghan First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum’s flight away from landing in Mazar-e-Sharif, NATO Resolute Support said in a statement.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earlier, Afghanistan’s Tolo News reported that Dostum’s plane was prevented from landing in Mazar-e-Sharif. According to the reports, his flight was first re-rerouted to the capital Kabul but eventually landed in neighboring Turkmenistan.

"German forces in Kunduz did not deny Afghan First Vice President Dostum's plane landing in Mazar-e-Sharif," the statement said on Monday. "It is not the business of the Resolute Support Mission to get involved in internal Afghan government matters."

Other reports cited President Ashraf Ghani’s office as saying German troops prevented Dostum from landing.

The official was returning from a medical trip to Turkey, where he lived in the 1990s.

Dostum has been under increased scrutiny since late last year, when he was accused by a political rival, Ahmad Ishchi, of kidnapping, torture and rape.

Last week, Pajhwok Afghan News reported that a criminal case against Dostum had been filed in court.