The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

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military intervention.” But it also observed that, “it’s obvious that the Soviet interests inAfghanistan are more ambitious today than before the coup in 1978. The establishment of aMarxist state in Afghanistan is now considered by Moscow as an important factor inconfirming its strategic and political interests in the region.”The ambiguity of the document created the impression that the intelligence analystswho worked on it were protecting themselves in case of different outcomes as the situationevolved. It was obvious that they were uncertain as to Moscow’s likely behavior in theforeseeable future.That was not surprising, as Moscow itself lacked such clarity.It was also obvious from the memorandum that the CIA operatives did a good job oftracing KGB contacts with the Parchamis who lived in Western Europe. The authors of thedocument report that Soviet representatives attempted to convince the oppositionmembers to return to Afghanistan, where they were promised support in organizing amilitary coup. It is possible that some of the Parcham leaders who lived in exile had,willingly or otherwise, provided Americans with this information.Formally, the United States was on friendly terms with the DRA. They continued toprovide Afghanistan with modest economic assistance. The last major American politicianwho visited the country was Deputy Secretary of State Newsom, in July. He signed anagreement for the construction of an irrigation complex in Gilmand with U.S. assistance, aswell as provision of American assistance for a wheat production program. But behind theveil of official politics, America’s secret strategy of supporting armed opposition wasrapidly unfolding. The Islamic radicals they armed and nurtured would become the chiefenemies of the United States only two decades later.592
The genie was out of the bottle.***Not much is known about the last days of the founder of the PDPA. According to somereports, it didn’t take long for Moscow to accept the loss of Taraki. No documents or oraltestimonies exist that indicate any serious planning to forcefully free Taraki. It is mostlikely that the KGB considered him a lost cause. Immediately following the coup d’etat onSeptember 15, the Politburo of the CPSU sent a secret cable to the first secretaries of theCentral Committees of the Communist Parties of the union republics and regional partycommittees titled “On the Situation in Afghanistan.”The cable stated the following in particular: “For some time, serious disagreementsbetween the allies of N. Taraki and H. Amin have occurred, which turned into a de factostruggle for power within the party-state leadership of Afghanistan. In connection withsuch developments, on behalf of the Politburo and L.I. Brezhnev personally, we urgentlyand persistently appealed to Taraki and Amin to request that they put aside theirdisagreements and stand together…Both Taraki and Amin declared that they weresympathetic to our appeals. However, the reality of the situation took a sharp turn for theworse…Now the leadership of the security services and the ministry of the interior havebeen replaced. The commanders of the military detachments are currently being replaced.Everything is leading to Taraki’s dismissal from the positions that he occupies.“It should be stated that the chairman of the Revolutionary Council and the generalsecretary of the Central Committee of the PDPA, N. Taraki, had been displaying extremeindecision in recent days. The advice and recommendations given to him by the CentralCommittee of the CPSU went largely unheeded, despite the verbal agreement he typically593
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Chapter 1:VIRUS: How the invasion o
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arranged meeting point for the emer
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that Orlov-Morozov wrote to the Cen
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political situation developing in t
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as accomplices, received long-term
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World War II, Prince Daoud Khan, th
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“Can you imagine, Comrade General
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no idea that some destructive polit
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General Gorelov was particularly co
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ascent. One plane, flying low above
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would retrieve vodka along with gla
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laid down on the couch. He felt pre
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possible contingency. Any unforesee
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In July 1973, Major Qadir and his g
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the Parcham faction, also became mi
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the military transport division of
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on the morning of April 27, the off
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there were passwords. I think Amin
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commander suddenly stopped and turn
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in the lead tank, which was compris
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KGB colleagues, exiting the embassy
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married?”“I wonder whose side t
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detachments. The analyst of the Res
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front of the airport and drove back
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complained to him, “Your trade re
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“What’s wrong? Should I call a
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awaiting further instructions. My a
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well-prepared speech that touched u
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Youth”) in the 1940s. Babrak also
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eally need to act a year ago, becau
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After Daoud’s visit to Moscow, th
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that could be leveled against me or
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looming in the fields, to be handed
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“And what about Daoud?”“I don
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sent the commander of the President
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another Central Committee member, t
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forces in the country, which had be
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explosions in the night sky. Only a
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When the bodies were removed from t
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Chapter 2:“We Knocked Out Their T
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deputy resident gave Valery an indi
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trusted the deputy resident, who wa
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Alexander Victorovich puffed his pi
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As evening came, the city was shrou
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honor, religion, and property, we d
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evolution and kill the president if
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theory, thinks as if the Pashtun
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analyst’s intentions.***The morni
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Vladimir Alexandrovich was accustom
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intelligence officers, yet they wer
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“He thinks that he will recover s
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Three years ago, General Leonov was
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Politburo would be unpredictable. S
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Tomorrow? What time? I think it’s
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During the meeting, the issues of A
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institutions. Afghan special servic
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to prepare him to work in Afghanist
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favor, and inquired as to the natur
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“We will take care of all funding
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services, and to discuss the budget
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was short, without a moustache desp
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children, and myself—and for the
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“Yes guys, this list is extraordi
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This time, General Zaplatin headed
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through Reuters? Do we not have our
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much to discuss.Ulyanovsky started
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enewed force.“According to our fo
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***One evening Starostin was called
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Parcham officers were passive on th
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operative boss,” mused the deputy
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glad that the Soviet comrades had a
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wasn’t involved in any affairs of
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the April Revolution.”The ministe
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do.”“I have no doubt that we wi
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invited to meet with Minister of Fo
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thirty of them. Two of them were im
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decision. The Afghans listened to h
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coordinate recommendations with eac
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April Revolution.Then Karmal took t
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low would be delivered that would u
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“Because they are Parchamis.”
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Having decided to marry his current
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ambassador. He, on the one hand, ca
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the state and party, which would me
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Bobrak?”This was the extent of th
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Indeed, there would be many more So
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Kharazov was tasked by the Central
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courtyard.”“Yes, of course.”
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again.”With a clear sense of reli
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counterintelligence managed to neut
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treatment. He thought that he would
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intervention. He had a very vague i
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interpretation of events. However,
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Amin interrupted him coldly: “I w
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his tormentors to kill him.“Every
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should ask your colleagues to be mo
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years earlier, he was offered a pos
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“Vladimir Alexandrovich,” begge
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he intended to play his own game. I
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was so enamored by the ideology of
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in Russian, “Do chego zhe mir tes
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Starostin often would run into Frye
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were to stay for another year or tw
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“I think that, from the U.S. pers
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leaders were convinced that the Sov
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Thinking about Americans, Valery re
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cannot, with full certainty, qualif
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As Surnin predicted, a CIA operativ
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wish was for them to make the Afgha
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Listening to Boris Nikolayevich, Bo
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until Bogdanov took the floor. He d
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doubts as to the old Communist warr
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simply didn’t have the means to o
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one hand, there was truth to this s
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auspices of the “National Pashtun
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this version of events becomes the
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Kryuchkov remained silent, digestin
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‘true communist’ and his friend
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Babrak Karmal looked extremely conc
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“Think, who could receive this Ba
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Preparations for the first state vi
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The papers also published Comrade T
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young people at the square, told th
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influential Islamist organizations.
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him as though considering their con
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Politburo superseded all protocol.
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with obvious Soviet participation w
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“I am working, Leonid Ilyich!”
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Once, the professor and the future
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As soon as they entered Dvoryankov
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Khan, Valery treated Dvoryankov to
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Sometimes, one should act extremely
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ecame a colony of Britain. Afghan t
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“Valery, do you think that we wou
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in the committee by a bureaucrat fr
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300 Afghani, according to an exchan
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The decree authorized the re-exprop
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Having said goodbye to him, Valery
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Nikolai Alexandrovich Dvoryankov di
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American intelligence services, eve
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***Sergei Bakhturin, an assistant t
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wife were staying in the room. Vese
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On February 13, a reception in hono
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to invite the archaeologist to spea
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a little over two hours to fulfill
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keep hostages in captivity. In othe
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was discovered that the gas in the
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“But how would the safety of Mr.
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“But then you should realize that
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are not as alert. People are more a
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newspaper. He settled on the name G
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“‘The security operatives, havi
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get inside his car? How can his cal
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“Wipe your tears,” he said in a
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differs from the way they think as
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“He told me to pick up my cleats
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describing what had transpired in H
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“I wonder who this person is? I h
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Starostin was not surprised by what
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Badruddin Bahes was close to Muslim
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nationalist and anti-Soviet. Howeve
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while he ruminated, then stared abs
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A: We failed to capture the terrori
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Question from a correspondent of Th
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flag on it. The U.S. ambassador was
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7. Who were the terrorists? It seem
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perceived at the Center? It would s
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Chapter 5:Rebellion in Herat - Firs
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struggle had become a historical le
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Revolution.“I understand that you
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evolutionary, anti-party, and again
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architectural monuments, and other
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een assumed that the Soviets in Afg
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“All of our leaders are waiting f
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spoke with Amin,” Gromyko added.
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decide to send them to Afghanistan?
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mistakes that they have made. Even
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It was a brilliant ploy. Everybody
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necessary to justify possible milit
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Unexpectedly, Andropov moved to sup
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this government. But can our troops
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military divisions had been deploye
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e illiterate his whole life, and to
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economic reforms as the solutions.
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conversation. “I would like to in
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look of satisfaction. He motioned,
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in connection with the additional m
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ased on the Bolshevik experience. F
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would flee to Pakistan after the de
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General Staff for his ruthless exec
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crucial decisions in complex situat
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and respectful when he met with the
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eason Ivanov did not fall prey to s
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Morozov, Khotyaev, and Starostin to
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Marxist-Leninist theory at the time
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violating their sacred duty.”Osad
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community, and the sinfulness of se
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“Unfortunately, this is not alway
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attempting to build socialism in su
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“In an attempt to halt anti-gover
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5. Confidential contacts with S. A.
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factions. The document mentioned th
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with their requests for direct invo
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armed opposition.Further into his m
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esidencies. Halbaiev, the commander
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discussed, Comrade Amin appeared to
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authority. They figured that the mo
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the stage of advanced capitalism on
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Safronchuk.Amin pretended to be ast
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danger to him. However, it is possi
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example, what was the purpose of Am
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“This is what happened,” began
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Ivanov hesitated. There was a silen
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special typewriter. He also had to
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influence. This topic was last disc
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paratroopers, disguised in aviation
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consequences of the confrontation b
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the organizational talents of Hafiz
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Persian Gulf.Détente was coming to
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duration of the war in Afghanistan.
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eported and objectively interpreted
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countries, including Iran, Pakistan
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officers took a seven-month-long co
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Glotov and Alexander Dolmatov were
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You will be assisting me in special
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was surprised to find out that not
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The taxi driver sensed that his pas
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and PGU with great attention.“It
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“Valery, you should meet with Gul
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***Major General Zaplatin was very
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Zaplatin sternly glanced at the int
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The Afghan understood that the Sovi
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them.“Finally, here is the most i
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neighboring Pakistan to become a re
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Afghanistan. Comrade Taraki is faci
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deal with Amin work? Where do the o
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“It looks like the situation with
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analysts in the International Depar
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1. Find a way to remove H. Amin fro
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water has such healing properties t
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the other leaders of the faction wh
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was burning our hearts. We simply c
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carry out a coup d’etat by overth
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indignation of Czech citizens watch
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global revolutionary movement. That
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workers, avant-garde peasants, and
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Council in leading the party and st
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that is happening behind my back.
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Petrov responded sternly, briefly s
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clear to him that he had to return
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statement without the support of th
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There were also several plain-cloth
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People’s Palace, where a joint me
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position within the leadership of t
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greeting, he informed me that Amin
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Alexander Mikhailovich Puzanov, Sov
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I suggested that we kick them out i
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your man or Amin’s man?”“He w
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his friends had already been arrest
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By some strange coincidence, all of
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party, demanding that he remove the
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Afghan school teacher, Valery decid
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path. We must do everything possibl
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Taraki called Amin and spoke in Pas
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esolution. He was now in control of
Page 542 and 543: in an open power struggle. Or perha
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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
Page 578 and 579: compact, they faced less difficulty
Page 580 and 581: and the convoy continued its drive
Page 582 and 583: suggested that he thoroughly clean
Page 584 and 585: opposition figures was an obvious e
Page 586 and 587: “So Taraki’s time is over?” a
Page 588 and 589: said Zaplatin emphatically. Ustinov
Page 590 and 591: “This is good. Please tell me, wh
Page 594 and 595: expressed.“It is now clear that w
Page 596 and 597: We were left untouched for the next
Page 598 and 599: Chapter 8:Death Sentence“The city
Page 600 and 601: living. They knew that the armed fo
Page 602 and 603: were expelled from local authoritie
Page 604 and 605: soon considered to be equivalent to
Page 606 and 607: In the middle of October, military
Page 608 and 609: The next morning, Bogdanov’s peop
Page 610 and 611: “We ought to serve,” the ambass
Page 612 and 613: the translation, was shocked. It wa
Page 614 and 615: “May I speak to you not according
Page 616 and 617: In concluding his speech, Amin said
Page 618 and 619: contribution to this transformation
Page 620 and 621: It was clear that the Center had to
Page 622 and 623: circumstances. All conversations of
Page 624 and 625: attaché reported, “Amin managed
Page 626 and 627: doctors, he continued to smoke his
Page 628 and 629: services, which we are currently in
Page 630 and 631: “We’ve heard this before, Andre
Page 632 and 633: and hydrogen bombs. He was the mini
Page 634 and 635: The results of the discussion were
Page 636 and 637: If facts indicating a change in Ami
Page 638 and 639: minister understood the difficultie
Page 640 and 641: “We can bring in some of our troo
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Having returned to Kabul, Gorelov s
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The helicopter brought Zaplatin to
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intervention in Afghanistan. Ustino
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Soviet Union. The first secretary o
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Collectively, all of those factors
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state. They would be informed as to
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additional specific instructions ha
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a hill, and was comparatively vulne
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performed culinary miracles, partic
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consulted about ways to install pow
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you are constantly engaged in intri
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possible only under the condition o
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To make a long story short, by the
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doubt flickered across his face. So
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Karmal’s faith in popular support
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Babrak Karmal was an educated and i
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thanks to the pilot’s skill and p
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head of state. He wanted to be rece
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The final decision that day was not
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“Well, Volodya, it is time to act
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Aligned Movement, of which Afghanis
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Kryuchkov had to issue the signal t
Page 686 and 687:
“At this point, you should stop s
Page 688 and 689:
The “cook” Mikhail T. poisoned
Page 690 and 691:
The poison worked, but strangely, o
Page 692 and 693:
“Everybody is here,” Kurilov as
Page 694 and 695:
“Is it possible to see a floor pl
Page 696 and 697:
Fear of potential failure played a
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training the special forces units a
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“It would be good for you to send
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Amin was happy to hear that. He see
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Akhromeev, the deputy head of the G
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spectacularly into the mountains su
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pancakes, veal, and traditional bak
Page 710 and 711:
A week later, Osadchiy summoned Sta
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“What do you think of me, Vilior
Page 714 and 715:
“The leadership of the Central Co
Page 716 and 717:
the remaining food and drink to be
Page 718 and 719:
In total, twenty-five Afghans, incl
Page 720 and 721:
more decisive action in Afghanistan
Page 722 and 723:
But even the “special people,”
Page 724 and 725:
about their sources of information
Page 726 and 727:
care of. What happened to the famil
Page 728 and 729:
Naturally, Soviet military interven
Page 730 and 731:
However, not only did Taraki not cr
Page 732 and 733:
BibliographyBooksAblazov, V. I. Afg
Page 734 and 735:
Internal Affairs Advisers about the
Page 736 and 737:
[Afghanistan: Opposition and the Au
Page 738 and 739:
from 1977-1983.Biryukov, L. I. —
Page 740:
Shah Wali — A prominent member of
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