The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

Meanwhile, inside the palace there evolved a curious scene. Amin’s guests weredraped over couches and carpets, completely discombobulated. Some of them laughedhysterically. The frightened guards dashed to the telephones to call for doctors from theSoviet embassy and the Central Military Hospital.A strange illness momentarily struck everybody, except for Pandzhsheri, wholooked at his friends with surprise. Amin, too, was affected. His guards, holding the generalsecretary’s limp body, helped him to a couch, where the master of the palace fell into a deepsleep.It seemed as though on his second try, the “cook” did not fail. The poison that hadbeen mixed in with the soup worked exactly as it was supposed to. However, thereremained flaws in the operation. First, the poison acted immediately, instead of later thatevening, when the capture of the palace was planned. Secondly, the people who plannedthe operation did not foresee the impact of the “insignificant” factor involving theintervention of medical professionals, including Soviet doctors, who arrived to the palaceimmediately in an effort to save Amin, led by Valayat Habibi, the head of the CentralHospital. General Habibi and his deputy, two Soviet colonels (military physicians), twodoctors from the embassy, and nurses were mobilized to attend to the crisis in Tajbeg.Ambassador Tabeyev personally sent embassy physicians, as he was unaware of the specialoperation.Some guests had to be immediately evacuated to the hospital. Some had theirstomachs pumped in the palace. The most attention was given to Comrade Amin. Hisstomach was pumped and IVs were administered. Major Jandad ordered the immediatearrest of all persons in charge of cooking and serving dishes that day. He also ordered all of715