Rodric Braithwaite - Afgantsy

11. ( Top ) Ahmad Shah Masud—the Lion of Pandsher (Sygmus collection, Corbis) ( Bottom left ) Sher Ahmad Maladani (Author photograph) (Bottom right) Unknown man by the Salang tunnel (Author photograph)

12. ( Top ) Soldiers fighting off an ambush (RIA Novosti) ( Bottom ) Soldiers are relaxing on their BMP (RIA Novosti)

13. ( Top ) Mi-24 battle helicopters, called Crocodiles (photograph courtesy of Yannick Fournier) ( Bottom ) Mi-8 helicopters, called Bees (RIA Novosti)

14. Sappers searching for mines (RIA Novosti)

15. A Soviet supply column in the mountains (RIA Novosti)

16. Pandsher Valley, September 2008 (Author photograph)

While every effort has been made to contact copyright-holders of illustrations, the author and publishers would be grateful for information about any illustrations where they have been unable to trace them, and would be glad to make amendments in further editions.

40th Army 85, 122, 128, 133, 135, 143, 195, 198

A unique army 144

Aircraft losses 205

Corruption 189

Crime statistics 173, 227

Disbanded 308

Disciplinary measures 225

Drinking and drugs 190

Enters Afghanistan 84

Equipment 197

Formation

108th Motor-rifle Division 55, 87–8, 175–6, 227

12th Guards Motor-rifle Regiment 230, 252

15th Special Forces Brigade 133

180th Motor-rifle Regiment 127

201st Motor-rifle Division 87, 142, 175, 227, 291, 305

The division fights on 305

22nd Special Forces Brigade 133

345th Guards Independent Parachute Assault Regiment 82, 87, 91, 105, 182, 195, 214, 216, 290, 317, 325

9th Company 116, 215

Suppresses demonstration in Tblisi 1989 308

56th Guards Independent Airborne Assault Brigade 87–8, 172, 176, 214, 217–18

5th Guards Motor-rifle Division 55, 87, 174–5

66th Independent Motor-rifle Brigade 154, 156, 174, 227, 229

70th Independent Motor-rifle Brigade 227

860th Independent Motor-rifle Regiment 87, 157–8, 171, 173, 188, 199, 227–9, 242

Epic march of 176

Trashes base on departure 284

Operations of 209

Reunions of 325–6

Formidable fighters, despite criticism 144

Four main bases 175

Health problems resemble those in Crimean War 175

HQ in Amin’s old palace 142

Inadequacy of strategy 123

Invasion route 86

Large operations on Pakistan border and in Pandsher Valley 213, 215

Living conditions 169

Mobilisation 121

Muddled chain of command 85

Nature of fighting 197

Ordered to begin active operations 140

Politicians fail to welcome the soldiers back 293

Press gangs 137

Soviet troops remain in Afghanistan after 40th Army leaves 294

Success nullified by two basic misjudgements 124

Tactics 129, 132–3, 207

Use of elite forces 133

9th Company , film 215

Abdullaev Yusuf, Soviet youth adviser 164–5

Abdur Rahman Khan (1840?—1901), Afghan ruler 13, 15, 26–8, 34, 44, 63

Abdurrahman, deputy chairman of Communist Youth organisation 152

Abram Andrew, English traveller 35

Abramov, interpreter 107

Adamishin Anatoli, Soviet diplomat, criticises invasion in diary 110

Advisers 7, 106, 152, 162, 164–5

Casualties 45, 53, 166

Foreign advisers with mujahedin 134

Helping to suppress rebels? 53, 167

Idealism of 149

Interpreters 153

Military advisers 124, 150

Not targetted by mujahedin 160

Numbers increase in 1979 150

Numbers run down from 1986 168

Party advisers 151

Poor results in the countryside 162

Security arrangements 161

Senior advisers in Kabul replaced 74

Murdered 139

Undermine Afghans’ responsibility 148, 176

Intelligence tasks 166

Youth advisers 151

Afganets—inhabitant of Afghanistan, hot wind, Soviet veteran 194, 326

afgani , Afghan currency 165

Afgantsy, veterans of war in Afghanistan. See : Veterans

Afghan army 151, 272, 279

Attitude of Soviet soldiers towards 138

Betrayal of 223

Brutality of 232

Daud procures Soviet weapons for 16

Desertions 136

Dependent on Soviet supplies 296

Everywhere on defensive 299

Will it resist Soviet invasion? 80

Mutiny in Herat 6

Penetrated by mujahedin 136

Politburo decides to supply specialists and arms, March 1979 49

Short-lived success of assault on Zhawar caves 214

Size, 1979 and 1989 136

Afghan government 124

Accused of betraying Islam 51

Counterproductive policies 123

Exploits divisions among Soviets 61

Fails to mend its ways 53

Issues radical programme 42

Loses authority 59

Panics after Herat rising 7

Signs bilateral agreement with Pakistan 281

Unable to hold territory captured by the Russians 216

Afghan syndrome see : PTSD

Afghanistan 299, 316–17

American interest revives, 1977 33

American invasion, 2001 325

Americans consider incorporating into Baghdad Pact 30

Attempts at modernisation 15

Briefly invaded by Soviets in 1929 29

British and Russian paranoia 23

British designs on 24

Burdensome legacy of Durand Line 28

Destruction after 1979 328

Geography, people, history 12

German influence 30

Good relations with Soviets after 1919 28

Ideal for guerilla warfare 128

Impact of Soviet war 331

Post-war attitudes of Afghans 335

Resistance to Communists spreads 58

Russian designs on 18

Situation deteriorates, Autumn 1979 75

Soviet Congress condemns invasion 328

Afsotr, Afghan-Soviet Transport Company 209, 300

Ahmad Shah Abdali (c.1722–73), Afghan ruler 13–14

Aid

Brings Russians few political dividends 148

Figures for Soviet aid 147

Given by Americans, Russians and Germans before 1979 146

Major Soviet irrigation project 147

Practical value of Soviet aid unclear 148

Russians build Polytechnic Institute in Kabul 148

Soviet aid to Najibullah 296

Ainaksk copper mine 240

Akbari, head of Afghan security police 59

Al-Azhar University, Cairo 17

Aleksandrov-Agentov Andrei, Brezhnev’s diplomatic adviser 42

Aleksievich Svetlana, Soviet journalist 323

Aliev Mahmed, Soviet adviser 105–6

Alksnis Colonel Viktor, critic of Gorbachev 309

Alliance of Seven 200–201

Islamic Party of Afghanistan 202

Islamic Party of Afghanistan (Hekmatyar) 184

Islamic Society of Afghanistan (Rabbani) 184

Amanullah Shah (1892–1960), Afghan ruler 15–17, 29, 34

Amin Hafizullah (1929–79), Afghan Communist President 7, 42, 59–60, 62–9, 73–4, 77–8, 82, 90

Abortive KGB attempts to kill him 94

Accuses Soviet ambassador of lying 72

Afghan people welcomes overthrow 106–7

Alleged contacts with Americans 40, 71

Co founder of Afghan Communist party 17

Death of 98

Furious reaction to Soviet protest 71

Gives orders that aircraft using Bagram be shot down 68

Moscow begins to think of removing him 74

Moves to Taj Bek palace 89

Poisoned at lunch 95

Strengthens hold on power 58

Purges officer corps 136

Amin’s palace cat 102

Amstutz Bruce, US charge d’affairs 71, 79

Amu Darya (Oxus) river 18–19, 27–8, 87, 142, 146, 205

Anava, village in Pandsher valley 182, 216

Andrianov Vladimir, orientalist, criticises war 245

Andropov Yuri (1914–84), Chairman of KGB 49, 52, 56, 74, 79, 109, 123, 237, 324

Accuses Amin of contacts with CIA 77

Congratulates Karmal on assumption of power 103