The Road to Afghanistan - George Washington University

care of. What happened to the family of the Afghan leader? Right after the Tajbeg assault,Amin’s wife and children were incarcerated. They were kept in prison until 1985. Then fortwo more years they were kept under house arrest. In 1987, his widow wrote to theMinistry of Education of the DRA requesting assistance so that her children could receiveeducation. Her request was granted. Two daughters and one son left to study in the SovietUnion. Patmana herself remained in Kabul until the mujahadeen’s arrival. After that she leftfor India, lived in Russia for some time, and now resides in Hamburg with one of herdaughters. Her only income is a small allowance given to political refugees.Or, let’s address Amin’s practical actions, first as a member of the Central Committeeof the party, then the second-in-command of the country, and then the head of Afghanistan.If we don’t take into consideration his distinctly “Afghan” outbursts, such as manifestationsof Pashtun nationalism, Eastern perfidy, and cruelty, Amin acted as a loyal friend of theSoviet Union and a professional revolutionary. Even his enemies emphasized his vital rolein creating a military organization within the Khalq faction and his decisiveness during thedays of the April coup d’etat. Very few doubted his sincerity when he said that he was“more Soviet than many Soviet citizens.” It’s a different story that his “Sovietism” was a bittoo leftist, that he was getting ahead of himself, and that he worshipped Stalin.And if he worked for Americans, why would he time and again invite Soviet troopsfor his own protection, to deter rebel attacks, and to defend the sovereignty of Afghanistan?One can certainly suppose that it was part of a complex strategy with the goal of draggingus into an exhausting war on another state’s territory. But to me, such an explanationseems a bit too unrealistic. Certainly, the Soviet presence under Amin continued to grow,while severe limitations were imposed on the Americans.726