The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

There were also several plain-clothed Zenit agents among the group of Sovietdiplomats. They were all armed, but their task was vague: simply to observe, react to thesituation as appropriate, and avoid provocations.The welcome party crowded in front of the airport’s modest terminal and scannedthe clear Afghan sky for the airplane that was scheduled to arrive at any moment.In Afghanistan, everything that appears—the first rays of the morning sun, the cloudthat breaks into rain, bringing relief to valleys exhausted by the merciless sun—alwaysappears from behind the mountains. Refreshing cool winds appear from behind themountains, as do the devastating winds that destroy everything in their path. Travelers andairplanes arrive from behind the mountains as well.The second-in-command and de facto head of government, the driving force behindthe armed forces, special services, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the hero of therevolution, Comrade Hafizullah Amin, was nowhere to be seen, even though the time forthe plane’s arrival was fast approaching. Anxious whispers began to circulate among thosepresent. Some diplomats began to come up with extraordinary explanations for Amin’sabsence. Could it be that Amin had already been relieved of all his positions? Perhaps hewas hiding in a specially guarded section of the airport and would not appear in publicuntil a certain time?Finally they saw the glint of silver wings above the horizon. The plane started itsdescent, but suddenly the pilots, as if changing their minds, evened out the trajectory andflew past the airport and over the mountains. A few minutes later the plane reappeared andseemed to be preparing to descend. That maneuver was suddenly aborted as well, and theplane began circling over the airport. The behavior was erratic, to say the least. The514