WMWG Part 2; 1991

1991...

·         April 1991 ... Holy warriors – (Haqqani’s forces; Haqqani is one of the major Mujahedeen’s trying to fight to control Afghanistan) Overran the DRA in Khost City. Khost city was the first major Afghan urban center to come under Mujahedeen control since Soviets invasion.

·         Then, 6 months later the Soviet Union collapsed and Najibullah (the president of Afghanistan for the Soviets.) Stopped getting money and support from the Soviet Union/Russia.

·         DRA was doomed since it ran out of fuel, food etc. DRA soldiers deserted in droves to join the Mujahedeen forces. Since the Mujahedeen’s still had food and control.

·         Mujahedeen warlords wanted to try and capture Kabul City – where the seat of Najibullah’s government was.

People started calling the Mujahedeen “warlords” when they all started fighting over the drug trade.

·         Here are some Mujahedeen Warlords that’ll you’ll be hearing more of in the next couple years –

Abdul Rasul Sayyaf – He had close ties with Bin Laden

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar – received $$$ from the CIA. Close ties with Haqqani

Ahmed Shah Massoud

They come into the story at a very pivotal part later. (They all wanted to overrun Kabul and win the power)

·         Abdul Rashid Dostum (A very high commander in the DRA.) A commander that fought against the Mujahedeen forces for Najibullah – turned on them and took most of the tanks, aircraft, and 40,000 soldiers to join forces with Massoud against the DRA.

·         Najibullah recognized his regime was doomed and made a press conference to try and tell the U.S. to stop funding the ‘Forces of Jihad’ (Mujahedeen warlords). He told the U.S. we had a joint struggle (The U.S. fighting alongside with Afghanistan against this kind of fundamentalism.) “Afghanistan will be turned into a center for terrorism.” – Najibullah. So Najibullah agreed he’d step down as president and work with the United Nations to effect a peaceful transition of power.

·         After this, some officials in the George H. W. Bush’s Administration wanted the U.S. to take this opportunity to keep Jihads like Hekmatyar from taking control. But because of a Cold War mind set in the CIA – since the Soviet Union no longer existed, America no longer had any reason for still being involved in these affairs. So the U.S. washed his hands of Afghan affairs and walked away.

This upset me. The U.S. it seems always has to stick their hands into the business of other nations. It might be with good intentions, but without good leadership and the analysis of all the facts and options, I think that is where we run into problems. How could we leave a nation we’ve supported with money and weapons for the last few years? Isn’t it obvious the people of these nations would become resentful toward us, the U.S.?

·         Najibullah stepped down as Mujahedeen forces moved in on Kabul.

·         Osama bin Laden worked to help form a power-sharing cooperation between Hekmatyar and Massoud; since these were the main people vying for power. But Hekmatyar did not want to share.