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

evolutionary, anti-party, and against the democratic reforms. And where are Karmal andhis cronies now? Nowhere to be found! And look at me, sitting here in front of you, numbertwo in the state, the secretary of the Central Committee, minister, and vice premier. The topbrass in the Soviet Union, the leaders of the International Communist Movement, welcomeme with open arms. The whole world knows me!“Don’t believe the fairy tales about Karmal as the ‘great theoretician of therevolutionary movement in Afghanistan.’ He may have written many articles over the lastfew years, but if you read those articles attentively, you will see a revolting revisionistideologist, bourgeois opportunist, and provocateur. Tell this to your leaders in Moscow andlet them shed their misunderstanding once and for all.”Gorelov and Zaplatin duly reported their positive impressions of “the second man ofthe DRA” to their bosses. They expressed their admiration for his outstanding personalqualities and business skills. Interestingly, Amin himself never fully trusted the head of theSoviet military advisory mission. A self-described “true revolutionary,” he could not forgiveGorelov for having been close to M. Daoud and having toasted to the king’s health. Almostall distinguished Afghans who were associated with the former regime had been killed,imprisoned, or had fled the country during the last year—that was the merciless logic ofthe revolutionary struggle led by Amin. Amin learned the lessons of the Great OctoberRevolution from books by American authors, which he had read with great pleasure duringhis studies in the United States. That was why General Gorelov and Ambassador Puzanov—both Brezhnev-era “revisionists”—had no place in Amin’s revolutionary plans for the newlife in Afghanistan.Lev Nikolayevich, however, had no inkling of Amin’s enmity and continued to352

dutifully fulfill his responsibilities in Afghanistan. He was a former paratrooper andcommander of a paratrooper division, who wanted to establish a corps resembling theSoviet special forces in Afghanistan. With that goal in mind, about three hundred physicallyfit young men were recruited from across Afghanistan. Gorelov himself supervised thetraining that Soviet officers provided to those cadets. The general organized their specialtraining to include maneuvers such as rappelling from hovering helicopters.General Gorelov made use of the special forces group that he had organized verysoon. The team was dispatched to fight in the middle of March 1979, when an uprisingbegan in the west of the country, in the city of Herat.***Herat was considered by many to be the most beautiful city in Afghanistan. Locatednear the border with Iran and Turkmenistan, it was renowned for its talented artisans,entrepreneurial merchants, and exquisite poets and musicians. Nature lent itself to theblossoming of these talents. Nowhere in the world can one find such beautiful pine forestsas in Herat. Tourists came from all around to enjoy the minarets of Musalla and the bluefrescoes of the Jami Mosque, one of the most beautiful in the East. Tourists admired themedieval fortress located on a hill in the center of the city, shopped for fabrics, carpets, andmetal works, and watched cockfights.Herat was for Afghanistan what St. Petersburg is for Russia. The city itself was amonument filled with light and harmony.Soviet advisers were eagerly agreeing to be stationed in Herat. According to Afghanstandards, it was a very civilized area, boasting a modern three-story hotel (airconditioned,with a restaurant and a swimming pool), movie theaters, museums,353

dutifully fulfill his responsibilities in <strong>Afghanistan</strong>. He was a former paratrooper andcommander of a paratrooper division, who wanted <strong>to</strong> establish a corps resembling theSoviet special forces in <strong>Afghanistan</strong>. With that goal in mind, about three hundred physicallyfit young men were recruited from across <strong>Afghanistan</strong>. Gorelov himself supervised thetraining that Soviet officers provided <strong>to</strong> those cadets. <strong>The</strong> general organized their specialtraining <strong>to</strong> include maneuvers such as rappelling from hovering helicopters.General Gorelov made use of the special forces group that he had organized verysoon. <strong>The</strong> team was dispatched <strong>to</strong> fight in the middle of March 1979, when an uprisingbegan in the west of the country, in the city of Herat.***Herat was considered by many <strong>to</strong> be the most beautiful city in <strong>Afghanistan</strong>. Locatednear the border with Iran and Turkmenistan, it was renowned for its talented artisans,entrepreneurial merchants, and exquisite poets and musicians. Nature lent itself <strong>to</strong> theblossoming of these talents. Nowhere in the world can one find such beautiful pine forestsas in Herat. Tourists came from all around <strong>to</strong> enjoy the minarets of Musalla and the bluefrescoes of the Jami Mosque, one of the most beautiful in the East. Tourists admired themedieval fortress located on a hill in the center of the city, shopped for fabrics, carpets, andmetal works, and watched cockfights.Herat was for <strong>Afghanistan</strong> what St. Petersburg is for Russia. <strong>The</strong> city itself was amonument filled with light and harmony.Soviet advisers were eagerly agreeing <strong>to</strong> be stationed in Herat. According <strong>to</strong> Afghanstandards, it was a very civilized area, boasting a modern three-s<strong>to</strong>ry hotel (airconditioned,with a restaurant and a swimming pool), movie theaters, museums,353

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