The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

13.07.2015 Views

the state and party, which would mean the end of Comrade Amin’s political career.”“What are Amin’s ambitions?”“I think his one and only ambition is to replace Comrade Taraki. This is why it is necessaryfor him to eliminate Karmal and other Parchami activists.”“Brother, do you think that after the Parchamis are eliminated, Amin will decide to destroyhis competitors in Khalq?”“There are no rivals to Comrade Amin among us Khalqis. After Comrade Taraki, he isnumber two—Taraki himself makes it very clear. Besides, I am confident that if Comrade Amindecided to plot something against any of us, Comrade Taraki would not allow such unjust actions.”Victor Bubnov sensed that this conversation with Mahmoud was very important. The nextday, he described everything that he had learned from the agent in a cable addressed to theCenter. However, there was no response to that cable. It seemed that the KGB leadership was notinterested in the internal relations in the ruling party of Afghanistan. The Moscow leadershipthought that there was a pro-Soviet regime in Afghanistan headed by a pro-Communist politician,and that they should support this regime and Comrade Taraki regardless of the internal politics ofthe regime. Let the Afghan comrades sort out their internal disputes themselves.***In the beginning of the summer of 1978, Afghanistan was flooded with advisers fromdifferent Soviet organizations. The Central Committee of the CPSU sent their representativeadviser, Valery Kharazov, to Kabul. Kharazov was the first Communist Party adviser, and wasfollowed by many Communist and Komsomol instructors from the USSR, most of whom beganarriving in 1980. Soviet Communist advisers were appointed in all provincial committees, in alldepartments of the PDPA Central Committee. Initially, Kharazov had no desire to be involved in178

assisting the April Revolution, and when he was initially tasked with his assignment inAfghanistan, his response to Secretary of the Central Committee Kapitonov was negative. He hadgenuine reasons to be concerned about taking the job, as he suffered from pain in his legs andlower back.Kharazov was the second secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party ofLithuania, candidate to the Central Committee of the CPSU, and a deputy of the Supreme Soviet ofthe USSR. According to the nomenklatura scale, that made him a part of the Soviet elite. Why, then,was he the one chosen to go to Afghanistan? Perhaps it was because two years earlier he hadsuccessfully fulfilled an analogous assignment as a Communist Party adviser in Angola. His healthexcuse seemed to be valid as far as the Central Committee was concerned. However, Kharazovmade the mistake of frequenting the tennis court as soon as he started feeling better. Kapitonovreceived word of this indiscretion and changed his tune, musing, “so you can chase a tennis ballbut you refuse to go on an important party assignment!”He gave the Lithuanian secretary three days to pack his bags.Ulyanovsky, in his instructions to Kharazov before the trip, said: “I’m not sure what you willbe doing there upon arrival, but take my advice. Try to avoid three things: a conflict between theCentral Committee and the army, a conflict between the government and the clerics, and betweenthe government and the tribes. There have been many cases in the history of Afghanistan whenoffended tribes came to Kabul to overthrow the government.Ponomaryov was equally brief: “The situation in the party is complicated. Khalq andParcham, despite our best efforts, still continue to squabble. The unification that occurred last yearis purely a formality. Before, we collaborated with the Parchamis, and we know them better.Incidentally, find out how to refer to the number two in the party—is it Babrak Karmal or Karmal179

assisting the April Revolution, and when he was initially tasked with his assignment in<strong>Afghanistan</strong>, his response <strong>to</strong> Secretary of the Central Committee Kapi<strong>to</strong>nov was negative. He hadgenuine reasons <strong>to</strong> be concerned about taking the job, as he suffered from pain in his legs andlower back.Kharazov was the second secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party ofLithuania, candidate <strong>to</strong> the Central Committee of the CPSU, and a deputy of the Supreme Soviet ofthe USSR. According <strong>to</strong> the nomenklatura scale, that made him a part of the Soviet elite. Why, then,was he the one chosen <strong>to</strong> go <strong>to</strong> <strong>Afghanistan</strong>? Perhaps it was because two years earlier he hadsuccessfully fulfilled an analogous assignment as a Communist Party adviser in Angola. His healthexcuse seemed <strong>to</strong> be valid as far as the Central Committee was concerned. However, Kharazovmade the mistake of frequenting the tennis court as soon as he started feeling better. Kapi<strong>to</strong>novreceived word of this indiscretion and changed his tune, musing, “so you can chase a tennis ballbut you refuse <strong>to</strong> go on an important party assignment!”He gave the Lithuanian secretary three days <strong>to</strong> pack his bags.Ulyanovsky, in his instructions <strong>to</strong> Kharazov before the trip, said: “I’m not sure what you willbe doing there upon arrival, but take my advice. Try <strong>to</strong> avoid three things: a conflict between theCentral Committee and the army, a conflict between the government and the clerics, and betweenthe government and the tribes. <strong>The</strong>re have been many cases in the his<strong>to</strong>ry of <strong>Afghanistan</strong> whenoffended tribes came <strong>to</strong> Kabul <strong>to</strong> overthrow the government.Ponomaryov was equally brief: “<strong>The</strong> situation in the party is complicated. Khalq andParcham, despite our best efforts, still continue <strong>to</strong> squabble. <strong>The</strong> unification that occurred last yearis purely a formality. Before, we collaborated with the Parchamis, and we know them better.Incidentally, find out how <strong>to</strong> refer <strong>to</strong> the number two in the party—is it Babrak Karmal or Karmal179

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