The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

wife were staying in the room. Veselov himself had left for work early that morning, but hiswife categorically refused to open the door. She was scared to death by the sounds thatcame from the corridor and the large number of armed people running around outside thehotel. Bakhturin tried very hard to convince the woman to let him in and implored her towait out the situation in the relative safety of the restaurant on the ground floor.Some hotel guests were afraid to leave their rooms, more fearful that they mightlose some of the exotic items they had acquired abroad than they were of the immediateterrorist threat. Afghanistan was certainly a poor country, but it was possible to buy allsorts of goods that were highly desirable for Soviet citizens in Afghan bazaars: taperecorders, electronic watches, jeans, and shearling coats. Nothing like this could be found inthe Soviet Union. This is why the Soviet citizens who had been evacuated from their roomshad in tow massive bags and suitcases filled with goods purchased in Afghanistan. Needlessto say, the Americans regarded this procession with astonishment.The operation at the hotel was led by the Afghan police (Tsarandoi). Major Tarun,the head of Tsarandoi, and Saifuddin, the chief of police, were in charge of the operation.The Afghans sought Alexander Kliushnikov’s advice repeatedly. The colonel eagerly gaveprofessional instructions to his Afghan counterparts. When the terrorists demanded ahandgun be given to them, Kliushnikov recommended that they give them a faulty one. Theplan was to storm Room 117 at the moment the handgun was delivered to the terrorists.The terrorists, however, must have sensed danger and refused to open the door of theroom.Gradually, the leaders of the rescue operation, along with Kliushnikov, Bakhturin,and Kutepov, moved from the second floor to the third floor, where it was a bit calmer.294