The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

head of the PGU. Most informed officials interpreted these changes as a bureaucraticvictory for Kryuchkov. Ivanov, who was highly respected but too independent forKryuchkov’s taste, was removed from the operative branches of intelligence. Theconsultants to the chairman of the KGB were jokingly called the “group of paradise.” Inreality, this was the position of honorable exile. As to the rise of Kirpichenko, the nearfuture demonstrated that his appointment was very appropriate in light of Andropov andKryuchkov’s plans to carry out military intervention in Afghanistan. It was precisely the “S”Division that was given the most sensitive tasks to activate the political shift in Kabul.The next step was the recall of the senior military adviser, Gorelov, from the DRA. InOctober, Gorelov was invited to report at a meeting of the Politburo Commission onAfghanistan. Lev Nikolayevich arrived in the Kremlin accompanied by Marshal Ogarkov, thehead of the General Staff. Gorelov’s report regarding the military-political situation in thecountry and his detailed description of the Afghan military were delivered in a precise andsuccinct manner. According to him, the Afghan armed forces were quite capable ofdeterring any rebel threat.“Currently, the Afghan army consists of ten divisions. Its air force has three hundredplanes. The armed forces have six hundred tanks,” stated the military adviser confidently.“Its firepower makes it one of the most menacing armies in the Asian region. It is capable ofmanaging the most complex tasks. The issues that still require resolution are as follows: alack of means of communication, military and transport helicopters, and weak militarytraining of soldiers and officers. But we are working on these issues.”639