The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University
The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University
his friends had already been arrested? Perhaps that would explain why there was no signof Amin’s people watching the building.When Starostin returned to the embassy, he saw a Mercedes with Afghan licenseplates parked in front of the office building. He ran up the stairs to Osadchiy’s office toreport that the meeting with the Khalqis did not take place for reasons unknown. Hethought that everything had been done correctly, as per the agreed-upon instructions, butGulabzoi never came out of the house.“They’re all here,” said the resident. “The whole gang of four is sitting in our embassywaiting for the situation to be resolved.” Osadchiy cracked the window and pointed to theMercedes that had been parked in front of the building. “They came here to talk with theambassador, but he had already left for a meeting with Taraki and Amin. These four claimthat Amin is planning to kill them tonight, and that Taraki may be removed from power bytomorrow.”“Do you really think it’s possible?”Osadchiy looked at the car in front of the building before he turned to Valery and said,with a very serious expression, “Yes. I think that scenario is possible.”“But we can’t just sit and do nothing,” said Valery with despair. “We should dosomething.”“What can we do? Puzanov just spoke with Moscow and received clear instructions totry to make peace between them all, by any means necessary.” Osadchiy continued lookingout the window. “At whatever cost,” he said gloomily.“Even at the cost of the lives of these ministers, who are the recognized heroes of theApril Revolution?”528
“It appears that way.”“So the Soviet Union—you and I—are betraying these people? The same way webetrayed Karmal and his Parchamis?”“You and I, Valera, are dealing with political intelligence. Sometimes one mustrenounce moral principles in matters of politics,” commented Osadchiy quietly and sadly.He closed the curtain, sat at his desk, and began leafing through some documents. Theconversation was over. Starostin left.As he exited the embassy, Valery saw the Mercedes filled with the former Afghanministers drive off the embassy premises and head towards the city.These people had just received a guarantee from Taraki that they could sleep soundlywith the knowledge that they were not in harm’s way. But by then Starostin knew the costof such guarantees very well. One wise intelligence officer, who had a long, successfulcareer in the Middle East, used to say, “It’s impossible to bribe an Arab. It’s impossible tobuy an Arab with money. An Arab can only be rented for some time.” A promise, anassurance, a written treaty held by oath and even blood in the East may or may not work. Itall depends on the changing interests of the two parties making the agreement.The ousted ministers themselves knew the value of their leaders’ promises, but theyalso knew where to expect ambushes and who was likely to have their fingers on thetriggers. Instinct led them to the Kabul Military Hospital instead of their homes. Sarwarihad reliable people at the hospital who would shelter them in the chamber of theDepartment of Infectious Diseases.September 14529
- Page 478 and 479: neighboring Pakistan to become a re
- Page 480 and 481: Afghanistan. Comrade Taraki is faci
- Page 482 and 483: deal with Amin work? Where do the o
- Page 484 and 485: “It looks like the situation with
- Page 486 and 487: analysts in the International Depar
- Page 488 and 489: 1. Find a way to remove H. Amin fro
- Page 490 and 491: water has such healing properties t
- Page 492 and 493: the other leaders of the faction wh
- Page 494 and 495: was burning our hearts. We simply c
- Page 496 and 497: carry out a coup d’etat by overth
- Page 498 and 499: indignation of Czech citizens watch
- Page 500 and 501: global revolutionary movement. That
- Page 502 and 503: workers, avant-garde peasants, and
- Page 504 and 505: Council in leading the party and st
- Page 506 and 507: that is happening behind my back.
- Page 508 and 509: Petrov responded sternly, briefly s
- Page 510 and 511: clear to him that he had to return
- Page 512 and 513: statement without the support of th
- Page 514 and 515: There were also several plain-cloth
- Page 516 and 517: People’s Palace, where a joint me
- Page 518 and 519: position within the leadership of t
- Page 520 and 521: greeting, he informed me that Amin
- Page 522 and 523: Alexander Mikhailovich Puzanov, Sov
- Page 524 and 525: I suggested that we kick them out i
- Page 526 and 527: your man or Amin’s man?”“He w
- Page 530 and 531: By some strange coincidence, all of
- Page 532 and 533: party, demanding that he remove the
- Page 534 and 535: Afghan school teacher, Valery decid
- Page 536 and 537: path. We must do everything possibl
- Page 538 and 539: Taraki called Amin and spoke in Pas
- Page 540 and 541: esolution. He was now in control of
- Page 542 and 543: in an open power struggle. Or perha
- Page 544 and 545: the Afghans? Maybe we should just h
- Page 546 and 547: had helped create. It was clear tha
- Page 548 and 549: activists.After he drafted the cabl
- Page 550 and 551: “No, thank you. I’d rather she
- Page 552 and 553: ecognized leader of the democratic
- Page 554 and 555: the couch to flip through the Sovie
- Page 556 and 557: custody of the Armed Forces of Afgh
- Page 558 and 559: “I don’t think that will ever h
- Page 560 and 561: you over to Amin,” Starostin repl
- Page 562 and 563: Taraki, his family, or his allies.
- Page 564 and 565: second truck would monitor the inte
- Page 566 and 567: currency. Boris Semyonovich ordered
- Page 568 and 569: session so that we might hear his e
- Page 570 and 571: disappearance of Sarwari and the fo
- Page 572 and 573: eplacing him, why did you shelter a
- Page 574 and 575: interlocutor, ignoring Kurilov’s
- Page 576 and 577: issued cargo boxes.These preparatio
“It appears that way.”“So the Soviet Union—you and I—are betraying these people? <strong>The</strong> same way webetrayed Karmal and his Parchamis?”“You and I, Valera, are dealing with political intelligence. Sometimes one mustrenounce moral principles in matters of politics,” commented Osadchiy quietly and sadly.He closed the curtain, sat at his desk, and began leafing through some documents. <strong>The</strong>conversation was over. Starostin left.As he exited the embassy, Valery saw the Mercedes filled with the former Afghanministers drive off the embassy premises and head <strong>to</strong>wards the city.<strong>The</strong>se people had just received a guarantee from Taraki that they could sleep soundlywith the knowledge that they were not in harm’s way. But by then Starostin knew the cos<strong>to</strong>f such guarantees very well. One wise intelligence officer, who had a long, successfulcareer in the Middle East, used <strong>to</strong> say, “It’s impossible <strong>to</strong> bribe an Arab. It’s impossible <strong>to</strong>buy an Arab with money. An Arab can only be rented for some time.” A promise, anassurance, a written treaty held by oath and even blood in the East may or may not work. Itall depends on the changing interests of the two parties making the agreement.<strong>The</strong> ousted ministers themselves knew the value of their leaders’ promises, but theyalso knew where <strong>to</strong> expect ambushes and who was likely <strong>to</strong> have their fingers on thetriggers. Instinct led them <strong>to</strong> the Kabul Military Hospital instead of their homes. Sarwarihad reliable people at the hospital who would shelter them in the chamber of theDepartment of Infectious Diseases.September 14529
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