The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

on the morning of April 27, the officer on duty saluted him and happily reported thataccording to an order given by the minister of defense, that day had been declared aholiday for all military personnel.Qadir asked what was the occasion for the holiday. He also wanted to hit the officeron duty on the face as a warning against lying. The colonel was very good at delivering suchwarnings to his subordinates.“Because the traitors of our motherland have been arrested and imprisoned,” theguard replied.“Oh, yes,” said Qadir. “This is a great day for Afghanistan.”The lieutenant shouted after him, “There will be a meeting at ten in the morning!”Qadir went to his office on the second floor to wait for the news. He knew that byevening, were he to live that long, he would become either a hero or a criminal. Around tenin the morning a very agitated deputy commander entered the office.“Tanks have left the Fourth Armored Brigade and are moving towards the center ofKabul.”Qadir, feigning surprise, went to the office of the commander. General Musa Khanwas not in his office; he had gone to the men’s room. He had recently had prostate surgeryand had been suffering from severe pain and incontinence. A phone, the direct line to thepresident, rang, and Qadir picked up the receiver. Daoud was agitated.“Have all the fighter jets take off immediately and destroy the traitors.”“Yes, Mr. President,” Qadir replied, thanking Allah for his great fortune.The wheels begin to turn, Qadir thought to himself. From now on he would beunstoppable. Only a minute ago he had been a member of the presidential team, just as44