The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

Muslim fundamentalist plots, plots of organizations supporting the rights of a range ofethnic minorities. Each month unconfirmed threats passed by without disrupting the dailyactivities of the embassy.When Victor entered the common room, he found his colleagues casually jokingtogether. They would take turns in approaching the windows overlooking Darul Aman andasking, “See any tanks?” “No, what about fighter jets?” “No, no infantry either,” a thirdchuckled. “Such a strange coup…not a single soldier in the streets.”At 9:40 a.m. the hum of an airplane was heard. It was an Aeroflot flight from Kabulto Moscow. The plane flew over the mountains to the north. Its windows sparkled in themorning sun before disappearing into the blue sky. And, at that moment, from the directionof the highway to Jalalabad came the sound of an artillery shot. The atmosphere of lightsarcasm inside the embassy was replaced by grim solemnity. Everyone in the commonroom understood—it had begun.Five years earlier, on July 17, 1973, Sardar Mohammad Daoud, without exerting anyparticular effort, had usurped the throne of the Afghan Padishah and his relative,Mohammad Zahir Shah. He dissolved the monarchy and proclaimed himself the head of thestate, the prime minister, and the minister of foreign affairs. The whole world discussed themilitary coup and the changes that were to follow the change of the regime. Several Sovietoperatives who were experts in Afghan political affairs knew that the situation was quitedifferent than the official version of events.Someone very close to the royal family told operatives from KGB’s Kabul Residencein confidence that the king was most certainly behind staging the coup. The Afghanmonarch, who was smart and farsighted, understood his inability to control the explosive13