The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

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spectacularly into the mountains surrounding Bagram, there had been no particularproblems. The troops moved along pre-assigned routes and met little resistance from thelocals. “Everything is going as planned,” declared Ustinov, making little effort to disguise hissatisfaction. Gromyko reported the steps taken by the Foreign Ministry to explain to theinternational community the sight of Soviet soldiers beyond the Amu Darya and Panj rivers.Then Andropov took the floor. Without going into great detail, he assured his colleaguesthat everything under his purview was prepared for the final step of the operation. “Therewill be a new general secretary in Kabul tomorrow,” he promised.“Well, comrades,” summed up Leonid Ilyich, “I think that we should approve whathas been accomplished and what we plan to accomplish. Let’s continue to meet in thisformat in the future. I only have one wish of each of you. Consider your every stepthoroughly.”On that very day, the military and the KGB operatives in Kabul confirmed the plansto seize vital government sites, first and foremost the residence of the head of state. TheKGB representative personally instructed the “cook,” who was again to prepare the “maincourse” during tomorrow’s events in the Afghan capital. Zenit and Alpha commandos werebrought a box of good vodka from the embassy. According to tradition, they needed todrink one hundred grams to bolster their spirit on the front lines.They were past the point of no return.***On the evening of December 25, Valery and Tamara Starostin were preparing toattend a Catholic Christmas celebration in the house of their Polish friends, diplomatsStanislav Smolen, his wife Hanna, and their son Gromek. Tamara was dressing up and706
putting on make-up when their doorbell rang. It was Victor Bubnov. He was in a greathurry. He entered the house, opened a duffel bag, and took out a Shmeisser submachinegun and a set of ammunition. “You might find this handy,” he suggested. Then Victorinformed Starostin that he was leaving immediately for Bagram in order to meet colleagueswho were due to arrive from the Soviet Union. He asked him to watch over his wifeAntonina in his absence, in case military actions began in Kabul before his return. “I’ll takecare of her, trust me,” Starostin assured his friend.After that, Valery and Tamara, with two bottles of Soviet champagne, a bouquet offresh roses from Jalalabad, and a gift for Gromek, went to Mikrorayon, where the Smolensresided.It was already dark. The black night shined with stars. Snow had yet to fall in Kabul,though that night was particularly frosty.Small airplanes flew low over Mt. Asmai, the Shur Bazaar quarters, and otherdistricts of Old Kabul, signal lights blinking in the night sky. Flares attached to smallparachutes fell from the airplanes. Hanging in the dark sky, the flares brightly illuminatedthe streets and houses below for several minutes.“Look how beautiful it is!” exclaimed Tamara. “I wonder why they are launchingthese flares.”“They probably want to know what’s happening in Kabul. They are very concernedthat an uprising may begin at any moment. They want to show the residents that they arein control of whatever might be plotted below.”The Smolens prepared a feast for their holiday celebration. Hor d’oeuvres includedStarostin’s favorite pickled ryzhyk mushrooms brought from Poland by Stanislav, potato707
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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
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in an open power struggle. Or perha
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the Afghans? Maybe we should just h
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had helped create. It was clear tha
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activists.After he drafted the cabl
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“No, thank you. I’d rather she
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ecognized leader of the democratic
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the couch to flip through the Sovie
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custody of the Armed Forces of Afgh
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“I don’t think that will ever h
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you over to Amin,” Starostin repl
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Taraki, his family, or his allies.
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second truck would monitor the inte
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currency. Boris Semyonovich ordered
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session so that we might hear his e
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disappearance of Sarwari and the fo
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eplacing him, why did you shelter a
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interlocutor, ignoring Kurilov’s
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issued cargo boxes.These preparatio
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compact, they faced less difficulty
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and the convoy continued its drive
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suggested that he thoroughly clean
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opposition figures was an obvious e
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“So Taraki’s time is over?” a
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said Zaplatin emphatically. Ustinov
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“This is good. Please tell me, wh
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military intervention.” But it al
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expressed.“It is now clear that w
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We were left untouched for the next
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Chapter 8:Death Sentence“The city
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living. They knew that the armed fo
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were expelled from local authoritie
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soon considered to be equivalent to
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In the middle of October, military
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The next morning, Bogdanov’s peop
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“We ought to serve,” the ambass
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the translation, was shocked. It wa
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“May I speak to you not according
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In concluding his speech, Amin said
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contribution to this transformation
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It was clear that the Center had to
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circumstances. All conversations of
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attaché reported, “Amin managed
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doctors, he continued to smoke his
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services, which we are currently in
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“We’ve heard this before, Andre
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and hydrogen bombs. He was the mini
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The results of the discussion were
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If facts indicating a change in Ami
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minister understood the difficultie
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“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
Page 656 and 657: a hill, and was comparatively vulne
Page 658 and 659: performed culinary miracles, partic
Page 660 and 661: consulted about ways to install pow
Page 662 and 663: you are constantly engaged in intri
Page 664 and 665: possible only under the condition o
Page 666 and 667: To make a long story short, by the
Page 668 and 669: doubt flickered across his face. So
Page 670 and 671: Karmal’s faith in popular support
Page 672 and 673: Babrak Karmal was an educated and i
Page 674 and 675: thanks to the pilot’s skill and p
Page 676 and 677: head of state. He wanted to be rece
Page 678 and 679: The final decision that day was not
Page 680 and 681: “Well, Volodya, it is time to act
Page 682 and 683: Aligned Movement, of which Afghanis
Page 684 and 685: 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
Page 698 and 699: training the special forces units a
Page 700 and 701: “It would be good for you to send
Page 702 and 703: Amin was happy to hear that. He see
Page 704 and 705: Akhromeev, the deputy head of the G
Page 708 and 709: pancakes, veal, and traditional bak
Page 710 and 711: A week later, Osadchiy summoned Sta
Page 712 and 713: “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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