Red Snow. Sean Ryan Stuart
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29 – Action Stations
Chapter 30 – “The Russians Are Coming”
Prologue to War Afghanistan and the Mujahidin
Night comes to Afghanistan with a vengeance. Her majestic mountain peaks are glowing with vestiges of a setting sun. It appears as if the earth is radiating with pools of blood and demands revenge. This is a land of contrasting beauty and natural realism. A land of lunar-like landscapes, arid deserts and towering mountain passes. A land full of clashing colors, terrain and personalities. A region full of contrast and diversity. Strong Islamic fundamentalist influences seem to be setting the current fashion statements, and fewer women are wearing Western style clothing.
This is a country so beautiful and mysterious it demands passion and respect from its more than twenty different ethnic tribes. Rudyard Kipling once wrote, “A place where terrible things always happen to people.” A country successfully invaded only twice, Alexander the Great did it in 400 B.C. and the Mongol hordes a thousand years later. Kipling’s fictionalized accounts of the Northwest Frontier, Khyber Pass and the great mountain ranges made for interesting reading, but never truly honored these magnificent Afghani warriors. Unlike traditional guerrilla fighters of the twentieth century, the mujahidin (Muhahedin, Mujahedeen) are not inhibited by modern military techniques and equipment. If they had to move from point A to point B, they simply used whatever means were available to get there, walking, donkeys, mules, horses, and occasionally a vehicle. Using these primitive methods, they were able to successfully defeat a modern and well-equipped Soviet army. Varying sources estimate that between 17,000 and 24,000 Soviet soldiers were killed and over 100,000 wounded in their conflict with the mujahidin. Some CIA sources estimate an even higher death toll. It is also estimated that over one million Afghans were also killed; five million refugees took up residence in neighboring Pakistan and Iran.
Strangely enough the entire Afghanistan conflict began around 1973, when a family quarrel turned in to a blood bath. Muhammud Daoud, who was the first cousin and brother-in-law of Zahir Shah, decided to overthrow his cousin, the shah. Daoud’s first action was to eliminate the monarchy and immediately proclaimed himself President of Afghanistan. Five years later, the Afghan Communist Party killed him and all members of his family in a sudden and vengeful act, and assumed power. Quid Pro Quo.
Afghan politics during this time period assumed a television “soap opera” scenario, when Prime Minister Hafizullah Amir, had his superior killed by having him smothered with a pillow. These events obviously caused a great deal of concern to the big “Bear” of the North, the Soviet Union. In view of the seemingly chaotic situation in this satellite of the Soviet state, the Soviet Politburo, under the guidance and control of Leonid Brezhnev, launched the invasion of Afghanistan.
The Soviets then brought in one of their puppet leaders and appointed him as ruler. Babrak Karmal, an exiled Afghan leader, never really successfully controlled his own destiny. Although he had nominal power, his awkward leadership style made him an unpopular leader. Additionally, he was never able to manage the ever-present political turmoil within his government.
His political failures were even surpassed by a long series of military defeats against the mujahidin. At no time, was the Kabul-led Afghan communist army a match for the mujahidin; unlike the mujahidin, the Kabul soldiers were unwilling draftees who had no desire to die for the glory of Kabul and its leaders. To the contrary, many of the Kabul soldiers were members of the upper class. Their fathers were middle-level government employees, wealthy businessmen and high-ranking officers. Kabul soldiers showed no desire to die for this corrupt government.
The Soviets deployed over 145,000 soldiers, but could never control the mujahidin. The Soviet army was ground down in a political and military morass; reminiscent of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in the nineteenth century. The Soviets once again interfered and replaced the dreaded Karmal with another despot, Dr. Najibullah, the former head of the secret police. Despite all of these changes both the Soviets and Kabul communists could not control their own political destiny. Although the Kabul communists hung on until April of 1992, their faith was predestined the day the mighty Soviet army invaded their country. Some remnants of their rag-tag forces are probably still fighting somewhere today in a desperate attempt to stave off their annihilation. Radical Pro-Islamic students have forced them out of Kabul and in to the mountains. Since the war officially ended with the Former Soviet Union (FSU), a continual vicious civil war has raged between all participants and it is very difficult to sort out who is now in power. However, radical Muslim fundamentalists have taken over Kabul and are now attempting to regain as much territory as possible.
Unlike other third-world countries, the Afghan people were never colonized by anyone. Consequently, they did not develop any of the usual third-world prejudices and fears toward Westerners. They still did not trust everyone they met, but judged every stranger individually. They usually allowed most Westerners the opportunity to prove themselves, one way or the other. Afghanistan was a country forgotten by time until the 1979 Soviet invasion. A land never recently conquered or subjugated. The British colonial empire fought three major wars and never successfully subdued this stubbornly independent nation. In 1842, the British Empire fought a series of engagements with the Afghani tribesmen and were thoroughly defeated. In one famous engagement only one man survived out of 4,500 British troops evacuating the city of Kabul.
The Afghani tribesmen were ruthless and merciless when dealing with invading powers. The courage, stamina and physical prowess of the Afghan fighter was legendary. No one had ever so successfully resisted the British colonial empire and lived to tell about it. These extremely hardy people could go long periods of time without food or water. Their stamina was legendary; their goat-like agility and strength were unmatched by any soldiers in the world. The origins of the Afghan people remain a mystery to this date. Some believe, they were descended from the Greek troops of Alexander the Great, who passed through Afghanistan in the fourth century B.C. Some believe that they are descendants from the original Indian tribesmen. Others would have you believe that they are long-lost cousins of an ancient Hebrew tribe, and others would swear that they are an Aryan people called the White Huns. There are as many theories as there are stars in the sky. Legends tell of ancestral roots dating to the time of Israelite kings, mystical Babylonian emperors and other ancient tribes of “Holy” genealogy. Regardless of their roots, they learned to fight at an early age, and were successful in defeating the Soviets. No one will ever satisfactorily solve the mysterious origin of this land and its people. One thing is certain, most of them embraced the Muslim religion, and used its teaching to overthrow the Soviet army.
It is of these hearty and brave warriors that we will tell you about, the mujahidin, Northern Alliance and its war against the “Mighty Evil Empire,” as President Reagan once called the Soviet Union.
It is obvious that the events of 9/11/2001 changed our world forever. We can no longer sit at home and feel as secure as we did on that horrible morning. There are more than three thousand souls that have convinced us that we must fight terrorism whenever and wherever we can. Some of our former allies turned against us, and some are now fighting along side of us.
Although this book was initially written during that hectic period of 9/11/2001, the same enemy exists. The United States, NATO, and the UN face a similar enemy in the Taliban. However, their sphere of influence spills over into Pakistan, and we must be weary of a nuclear Pakistan.
Among the scraggly odd pine trees, sprinkled with cacti and thorns, a small band of men climb rock-strewn slopes. Ten strenuous days of hard walking, mostly at night to avoid the ever present danger of Soviet Hind (helicopter