Afghanistan during the reign of Babrak Karmal (1979-1986)

Abstract

The article tells about the B. Karmal’ origin, his active participation in Marxist political activity and revolutionary activity in his student years, for which he was repeatedly convicted and imprisoned, and with his associates began to form a communist political party. It is known that B. Karmal, who was actively engaged in political activities, took an active part in the formation of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) in 1965, and in 1967 he separated from it and headed the Parcham fraction. In 1978, under pressure from President Taraki, he was expelled from the country and became ambassador to Czechoslovakia, where he compromised with Moscow through the USSR embassy in Prague. Since the arrival of Hafizullah Amin in the fall of 1979 to the leadership of Afghanistan, B. Karmal was taken over of the USSR State Security Committee and preparatory work was carried out to gain power. December 27, 1979, with the direct support of the leadership of the USSR, is characterized by his coming to power of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, the ineffectiveness of the reforms he has carried out over the seven years of his reign, and the massacres of Soviet troops under his rule. Also, his departure from power due to chaos and the protracted war in Afghanistan and the last years of his life are described. Key words: Afghanistan, Babrak Karmal, USSR, Kabul, Moscow, Czechoslovakia, power, party, parcham, war, prison, army.