The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

the couch to flip through the Soviet photo books. Sarwari fiddled with his radio, trying tolocate the spot that had the best reception. He seemed to Valery to be growing increasinglyanxious.“What’s happening?” Valery asked Sarwari.“I am listening in on the conversations between AGSA agents and central dispatch.There are already twice as many brigades hunting for us than there were just three hoursago. Three hours ago they were looking mostly in Mikrorayon, but now they are combingthrough the Soviet embassy’s district, where your home and the homes of other diplomatsare located. Three or four brigades are very close to us,” explained Sarwari anxiously.Tamara went upstairs to the second floor. About twenty minutes after hisconversation with Starostin, Sarwari sharply jerked the radio from his ear and barkedsomething in Pashto, most likely a military command, to his friends. Gulabzoi grabbed amachine gun and Watanjar picked up his submachine gun. Then Sarwari raised the radio tohis ear with his left hand and gestured with his right index finger to wait silently. “Here wego,” thought Starostin grimly. The tense silence lasted for several minutes. Voices could beheard through the radio before dying down and ceasing altogether. Sarwari removed theradio from his ear and whispered, “They were driving along your street and, it seemed tome, may have stopped right by your house. Right now they are moving on to a differentblock. It appears that there are no other brigades in the vicinity at the moment.”By evening everything had calmed down. Over a cup of tea, Valery cautiouslybroached the topic of Sarwari’s involvement in the crackdown and his personalresponsibility as head of AGSA for the acts of repression: “Comrade Sarwari, please, do notbe offended. I have heard a number of times that many Afghans label you an executioner of554