The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

There was one other person who was working closely with Amin: Major YuriKutepov from the Ninth Directorate of the KGB. Kutepov served as the adviser to MajorJandad, the head of Amin’s personal guard. However, because Kutepov didn’t receive anyinstructions from his immediate leadership in the Ninth Directorate (he could not receivethose instructions because everything was highly classified), he continued to providesecurity for Amin as earnestly and conscientiously as possible. That was the onlyinstruction that Kutepov could fulfill—nothing was to threaten the man under hisprotection. It made no sense to address him with sensitive requests that would lead him tobelieve that something could threaten the subject of his protective custody.That secrecy would play a cruel joke on many of the actors as the drama laterunfolded * .The transfer of the head of state’s residence from Ark Palace to the edge of Kabul,where Darul Aman Road ended, was planned for December. There, removed from the citydwellings, the majestic palace—almost a castle—which had previously been used as a basefor the Kabul garrison, sat perched on a hill. The building had undergone fundamentalreconstruction immediately after the revolution, with the help of German specialists. It wassupplied with everything necessary for the life and work of the head of state. No expenseswere spared. The palace was decorated generously with granite, marble, and onyx.Beautiful crystal chandeliers lighted its rooms, and the wooden floor had been laid by hand.The site had one significant drawback: whereas the Ark Palace was located in thevery heart of Kabul and surrounded by two thick fortress walls, the Tajbeg stood alone atop* Major Kutepov, who would not receive any instructions from his bosses regarding Amin’s “death sentence,”was bound to suffer from this cloud of secrecy, as he would remain loyal to his assigned duty until the finalmoment.655