The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

paratroopers, disguised in aviation technician uniforms, will be sent in order to providesecurity and defense for the planes of the Soviet air force group stationed at BagramAirport. A special detachment of KGB operatives (125-150 persons), disguised as embassyservice personnel, will be sent to Kabul for the protection of the Soviet embassy. In earlyAugust of this year, after the completion of training, a special detachment of the GRUGeneral Staff will be sent to the DRA (Bagram Airport) to be engaged in protection anddefense of government sites of high significance in case of an emergency situation.”According to the same Politburo decision, B. N. Ponomaryov was dispatched to Kabul again,“for discussions with the leaders of the DRA.”There are reasons to believe that in the beginning of the summer, the mood inMoscow began to shift towards making more radical decisions in regards to Afghanistan.Although Taraki was regarded as a nice person by the members of the Soviet Politburo, heseemed unable to navigate a ship through a storm. Amin irritated them more and morewith his intrigues and his stubborn determination to play his own game. Under suchcircumstances, the ship could sink at any moment. Something had to be done, but preciselywhat was not yet clear.The KGB was prepared to restore ties that had been frozen with exiled leaders ofParcham, most of whom by then had emigrated to European countries. The IntelligenceDirectorate of the General Staff continued its intensive training of the Muslim Battalion inChirchik. The KGB Residency in Kabul received instructions to focus on the growingopposition inside Khalq.***The negotiations, or rather haggling, between Taraki and Amin regarding “the gang442