On the go?

Get IOL's cool new iPad app...

Soviet soldier missing since 1980 found

Comment on this story


Moscow -

A Soviet soldier from Uzbekistan who went missing in 1980 while serving in the Red Army during the war in Afghanistan has turned up living in the west of the country over three decades later.

Bakhretdin Khakimov has been living in Herat province since suffering an injury there during service in September 1980, according to the veterans support organisation which found him.

Khakimov is now known as Sheikh Abdullah and works as a healer, said Alexander Lavrentyev of the Warriors-Internationalists Affairs Committee, quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency.

He said previous attempts to arrange a meeting with him had fallen through on three occasions.

“On February 23, locals managed to bring him into the city for a meeting. Now he is called Sheikh Abdullah but before he was Bakhretin Khakimov from (the Uzbek city of) Samarkand,” said Lavrentyev.

He said Khakimov was married but his wife died. He has no documents and barely speaks any Russian although he understands the language, Lavrentyev said.

According to RIA Novosti there are still 264 Soviet soldiers considered to be missing in Afghanistan and the veterans group intends to work until the fate of every single one is known. - Sapa-AFP


sign up
 
 

Comment Guidelines



  1. Please read our comment guidelines.
  2. Login and register, if you haven’ t already.
  3. Write your comment in the block below and click (Post As)
  4. Has a comment offended you? Hover your mouse over the comment and wait until a small triangle appears on the right-hand side. Click triangle () and select "Flag as inappropriate". Our moderators will take action if need be.

     

Join us on

IOL-Social networks IOL-Social networks IOL-Social networks IOL-Social networks

Business Directory