The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

You will be assisting me in special training of the local counterintelligence operatives. Theyare good guys, but completely inexperienced. They don’t know how to do anything. Is yourtask clear?”“Yes, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel,” responded Kurilov happily. “You may rely onme.”“I know that,” the deputy commander of Zenit said. “I’ve been watching you for awhile.”Training sessions with AGSA operatives began in an area called Paghman in theKabul suburbs. Dolmatov lined up the AGSA operatives and declared: “In exactly one monthyou will become real pros in hand-to-hand fighting. You will be undefeatable. Your skillswill overshadow those of Japanese karate masters, whom you saw in the movies.”To eliminate any doubt, he arranged a demonstration session, with Kurilov in therole of his sparring partner. Valery attacked Dolmatov from the back wielding a knife, thentried to kill him with a bayonet, but every time found himself struck to the ground. TheAfghans were greatly impressed.Sessions in Paghman were combined with regular trips to the city. They were taskedto learn more about the capital, to develop emergency routes for extraordinary situations(such as a sudden evacuation, a secret meeting with an agent, etc.), and to investigateapproaches to some important sites. All of that finally felt like real work. Besides, Valerydevised tasks for himself. Being a professional counterintelligence officer, he started toclosely watch the Afghan trainees who were taking their classes. He was considering thepossibility of recruiting them in the future. He was quietly but systematically collectingrelevant personal data, studying their character, habits, and weak points; in addition, he460