The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

“Interesting,” uttered Kryuchkov, deep in thought. “Interesting what tied Amin andTaraki together. Why was the general secretary so closely linked to Amin? Why take himunder his wing?”“Here, I think, one will find the answer in Amin’s behavior. He is a master in the artof flattery and takes advantage of Taraki’s weaknesses very skillfully, always calling him‘father of the nation,’ ‘great leader of the revolution,’ ‘beloved teacher.’”“Go on,” said Kryuchkov.“That was when Amin, the only one in the Khalq faction, was honored withmembership in the Afghan Parliament. Babrak Karmal was already a Parchamrepresentative in the Parliament. Amin made Karmal the object of very sharp and publiccriticism. His animosity was obvious, despite the fact that they were both members of thesame party. I would even go so far as to say it was closer to hatred than animosity.“After the overthrow of the monarchy and Daoud’s assumption of power, Amin wastasked with the organization of underground activities in the Army. That was when Amin’sleadership talents fully blossomed. During this brief period, he managed to recruit manyofficers of the Kabul garrison into the Khalq faction, with an emphasis, as ever, on Pashtunissues. They became his guard on April 27, when the military coup began. By the way, rightafter the so-called ‘revolution,’ Amin still agreed to share the laurels of ‘revolutionary-inchief’with Qadir, Watanjar, and other officers. However, now he claims to be the sole heroof the revolution. A feature movie was even produced where Amin played himself, thecommander and hero of the revolution. During the film’s production, he personally editedthe script, twisting the historical record to his great benefit. A brochure was publishedwhere his ‘outstanding role’ in overthrowing Daoud is detailed. Anyone who dares doubt241