SOVIET SAID TO GAIN ON ITS AFGHAN FOES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000303590008-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 23, 2010
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: March 30, 1980
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000303590008-5
0 1 7 1 F AGE
SOVIET said TO. caiy
UN ITS AFCIIAN FOES
Russian Troops: Reported to Quell
Rebel Activities in Northeast
By MICHAEL T. KAUFMAN
Sperl+J to7be t4 w York Times
NEW DELHI, March 29, - -Soviet
troops and, equipment have virtually
wiped out rebel activity in Afghanistan's
Kunar Valley and in the northeastern
Province of Badakshan, according to
travelers.
The travelers said that after the tat-
tered and demoralized Afghan Army
failed in repeated attempts to clear these
areas of active guerrilla bands, Soviet
commanders In Kabul ordered full-scale-
assaults-using Soviet armor and rocket-
-
firing Ml-24 helicopters.
"These offensives last month proved
that the Russians can go anywhere in the
country it they go in full force," a trav-
eler remarked. Another commented that
overt resistance to the Soviet occupation
died away in the capital after mass ar-
rests last month in retaliation for a pro-
test closing of shops. -
The distribution of clandestine anti-
Soviet leaflets; called night letters, has
stopped. The last one turned . up two -
weeks ago.
Despite the quiet in Kabul, there were
ample signs that the Government of B,a-
brak Karrnal and its Soviet protectors
were still facing serious challenges on
many fronts.'
Small Raids Throughout Nation
One traveler said that 'I'mosquito-like
raids" were. being carried on daily, in
many parts of the country, Bridges are
being expertly demolished, he said; Gov-
ernment convoys are being attacked. And
5-afghan coins, somewhat la`rger.than an-
American quarter. and worth,.-about-2
cents, have disappeared::. One explana-.
tion is that the coins are just the right size.
to fit into sections of pipe, sealing them to
make grenades.,
The travelers agreed that from-what
they had heard about the situation in mili-
tary and civilian hospitals, various esti-
NKW YORK TI? S
30 MARCH 3 980
mates that ? about 1,500 Soviets soldiers I
have been killed since December seemed
conservative.,'-*
A curfew. is in effect in Kabul from
10:30 P.M. to 4:30 A.M. During the nights,
checkpoints are manned by Soviet troops
and tanks, though lately it is reported
that well-dressed young men; presumed
to be Afghan party functionaries, are in
the streets with weapons.
In addition, neighborhood ? vigilante
groups called Committees for Protection
of the Revolution were established and
armed three weeks ago, but they seem to
have been disbanded. An Indian resident
was shot and killed by such vigilantes
some days ago-
Lack of Skilled Employees:-
The travelers, both Western and Asian,
say that the thorniest problem facing the
Afghan regime and the Soviet residents is
a lack of skilled and loyal people to take
over administration of Government serv-
ices and the war.
One traveler said that of the 90,000 sol-
diers the Afghans reported were In the
army, only 35,000 were still in the ranks.
Of these he added, fewer than half could
be-considered loyal. Desertions and de-
fections have taken a heavy toll and the
officer corps has been further pared by
successive purges. Young men from uni-
versities are reportedly being sent to the
Soviet Union for hurried military train-
ing.. But it is unlikely, the source said,
that there will be enough trained Afghans
to take overvital roles at any near date.
He said that President Karmal had a
Soviet driver, a Soviet bodyguard and a
Soviet cook,
Soviet citizens in civilian dress, virtu-
ally all described as having a Slavic ap-
pearance, are reported to be working
openly in most ministries. Russians are
said to be running both The Kabul Times,
an English-language paper, and the tele-
vision station. Most other foreigners,
those who worked for international agen-
cies or for the former Afghan Govern-
ment, have left.
American Speaks of C.I.A.
One American~Robert E_-Lee, wasl
shown on television Wednesda-t~I-fe'
vies arrPSted Feb. 22 aanc~?_accordinQ to
the Afghan press1_was charged with
"mIIitary esn_ ionage. 6n television he
enounc a Central Intelligence
Agency in a voice that was described as :
"strained." Mr. Lee has been described
by people in Kabul as a wanderer who
was trying to find employment as an Eng-
lish teacher. Another American, Charles i
Brockenier, a carpet dealer, was freed
yesterday after more than a month in
confinement. -
In this period, the Kabul authorities
have reported releasing 1,500 of the peo-
ple. seized in round-ups Feb. 21-22 in re-
sponse to the shop closings. Many of those
arrested were Hazaras,. an ethnic and
religious minority. They have Oriental
features and are Shiite Muslims.
Along with a buildup of Soviet person-
nel, according to travelers' reports, there
has also been a flow of arms and equip-
ment. One man said he had seen all sorts
of surface-to-air missiles, ranging from 3
feet in length to about 34 feet, mounted in
tubes on trucks. An average of 20 Soviet
transport planes arrive daily at the Kabul
airport and at Bagranr, 140 miles away.
Heavy constuction equipment, appar-
ently brought by road from the Soviet
Union, is being used to build what ap-
pears to some travelers to be a Soviet
command post at the historic Bala Hissar
Fort-
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/23: CIA-RDP90-00552R000303590008-5