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

would flee to Pakistan after the defeat of that rebellion.Tanai’s company, as well as the soldiers and officers from the Seventeenth Divisionwho had remained loyal to the regime, about three hundred persons in all, stayed at theHerat airdrome waiting for orders.At the same time, officers who joined the rebels discussed their next steps in theirgarrison fortress. Ismael, the senior captain in charge of the anti-aircraft artillery unit,stood out from his company. He was a courageous and capable officer. During the battle forHerat, he had personally shot down a fighter jet that was aiming at rebel positions. Formany years, destiny would lead Officers Tanai and Ismael to opposing sides. Ismael, afterthe suppression of the rebellion, went underground to lead a group of mujahadeen, beforeeventually becoming the most prominent field commander in western Afghanistan. Thename Turan (“Captain”) Ismael-Khan would be etched into the history books for his role inthe mujahadeen’s fight against the Soviet Union ∗ .Senior Military Adviser Colonel Katichev, taking advantage of the arrival ofreinforcements, was the first to order an attack on rebel positions. After having conductedand verified the results of a reconnaissance operation, he sent five tanks with reliablecrews to the rear of the Seventeenth Division. The tanks opened fire upon the rebelartillery positions. When the cannons began to turn towards the tanks, the division’spositions were attacked by Tanai’s paratroopers. Afghans fight very well from ambushes,but tend to be considerably less effective in open battles. Tanai led his fighters into themilitary base without particular difficulty and immediately took control of the situation. Asit had five days ago, the infantry obediently surrendered, this time to the representatives of∗ After the overthrow of Najibullah’s regime in 1992, Ismael-Khan was named governor of Herat. He wasthrown into prison under the Taliban, but managed to escape. He is now a minister in the Afghan government.388

the lawful authority.The punishment of the deserters was swift and merciless. The paratroopers shotnearly three hundred soldiers and officers immediately. The remaining military personneldispersed into neighboring villages or returned to the barracks, having agreed to continuetheir service. Katichev wrote to Gorelov in the morning of March 20: “The rebellion in Herathas been suppressed.”The province of Herat remained one of the most dangerous and problematic untilSoviet troops left Afghanistan. For years, prolonged battles did not cease in the city and itssurroundings. What was once an oasis turned into a fiery hell.The modern Herat Hotel where the Soviet advisers resided, the one that had beenbuilt according to Western standards, became a real fortress. Its windows were filled withsandbags, machine guns were placed on the roof, and an armored vehicle guarded theentrance. From then on, Soviet advisers moved across the city only during daylight. Thearrival of darkness heralded the transfer of power to those who the Soviets calleddushmany.If the Herat uprising had been successful, Sarwari’s dark prophecy of a “chainreaction” across Afghanistan may have been realized. In a sense, that process had alreadybegun. That spring, armed uprisings in the provinces of Nangarhar, Baglan, Farakh, andothers began, but all were of disparate nature and each was suppressed with extraordinarycruelty. For example, Mohammad Yaqub arrived to suppress the rebellion in the Jalalabadgarrison. When he saw the arrested rebels and their supporters, Yaqub personally began toexecute them. His assistants were handing him fresh ammunition and exchangedsubmachine guns as barrels overheated from relentless usage. Amin praised the head of the389

would flee <strong>to</strong> Pakistan after the defeat of that rebellion.Tanai’s company, as well as the soldiers and officers from the Seventeenth Divisionwho had remained loyal <strong>to</strong> the regime, about three hundred persons in all, stayed at theHerat airdrome waiting for orders.At the same time, officers who joined the rebels discussed their next steps in theirgarrison fortress. Ismael, the senior captain in charge of the anti-aircraft artillery unit,s<strong>to</strong>od out from his company. He was a courageous and capable officer. During the battle forHerat, he had personally shot down a fighter jet that was aiming at rebel positions. Formany years, destiny would lead Officers Tanai and Ismael <strong>to</strong> opposing sides. Ismael, afterthe suppression of the rebellion, went underground <strong>to</strong> lead a group of mujahadeen, beforeeventually becoming the most prominent field commander in western <strong>Afghanistan</strong>. <strong>The</strong>name Turan (“Captain”) Ismael-Khan would be etched in<strong>to</strong> the his<strong>to</strong>ry books for his role inthe mujahadeen’s fight against the Soviet Union ∗ .Senior Military Adviser Colonel Katichev, taking advantage of the arrival ofreinforcements, was the first <strong>to</strong> order an attack on rebel positions. After having conductedand verified the results of a reconnaissance operation, he sent five tanks with reliablecrews <strong>to</strong> the rear of the Seventeenth Division. <strong>The</strong> tanks opened fire upon the rebelartillery positions. When the cannons began <strong>to</strong> turn <strong>to</strong>wards the tanks, the division’spositions were attacked by Tanai’s paratroopers. Afghans fight very well from ambushes,but tend <strong>to</strong> be considerably less effective in open battles. Tanai led his fighters in<strong>to</strong> themilitary base without particular difficulty and immediately <strong>to</strong>ok control of the situation. Asit had five days ago, the infantry obediently surrendered, this time <strong>to</strong> the representatives of∗ After the overthrow of Najibullah’s regime in 1992, Ismael-Khan was named governor of Herat. He wasthrown in<strong>to</strong> prison under the Taliban, but managed <strong>to</strong> escape. He is now a minister in the Afghan government.388

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