The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

eligious fanatics—fundamentalists. He also had to consider that there were elements inAfghan society, apart from the allies of the great northern neighbor, who wanted friendshipwith the West.Daoud was engaged in a balancing act. Having become the head of the state, heasked the minister of defense, “Why is our army equipped exclusively with Sovietweaponry? Go to India, to Saudi Arabia, see what they have.” He then invited thecommander of the air force, “Why are all our airplanes and helicopters manufactured in theSoviet Union? I task you to explore the procurement of similar technology in WesternEurope.”Abdul Qadir conscientiously fulfilled that task and reported back to the president,“Switzerland is prepared to provide us with transport aircraft which would be superior toour current Antonov models. There are also French helicopters available that are muchbetter than MI-8.” Daoud listened to the report approvingly and ordered the minister tocontinue negotiations. However, soon after that, Qadir was read a lecture by the PDPAleaders: “You should try to sabotage these deals. In cases like this we must always orientourselves to the USSR—our most trusted friend and strategic partner.”The problem resolved itself. India, Saudi Arabia, and the European countriesdemanded payment in full for their weaponry, aircraft, and technology. The Soviet Union,meanwhile, was helping Afghanistan for practically no compensation. There were somecredits arranged, some symbolic payments made, and a lot was provided by barter fornatural gas supplied from Afghan deposits.It was not only the underground activist Qadir who was rewarded by Daoud for hishelp in overthrowing the monarchy. Several members of the PDPA, primarily members of39