The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

In total, twenty-five Afghans, including Shah Wali’s wife, died during the storming ofthe Tajbeg Palace * . Five KGB special service operatives were killed, and fourteen from theMuslim Battalion and among the paratroopers. There were more than a hundred woundedmen. Colonel Boyarinov, the head of Balashikha, who personally led his Zenit fighters tobattle, was killed. A stray bullet killed Colonel Victor Kuznechenkov, a military physician,who had arrived to save Amin from the poisoning.When the battle was at its peak and disparate messages were arriving at theembassy from the palace, Bogdanov received a call from Kryuchkov. Kryuchkov explicitlystated that they did not need Amin taken alive. At approximately 8:30 p.m. local time,Moscow received several reports that indicated that their main target had been eliminated.This, however, was not the end.It was the end of what was later called the “First Stage of the April Revolution.”* This figure only refers to the Afghans who were inside the palace. No numbers exist for casualties during theapproach to the Tajbeg Palace. According to some estimates, several hundred people died during the assault.718