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((Was accidentally deleted, Pls forgive me :/))
 
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In as the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Sultan Ali Keshtmand
 
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Imminent Victory

A Message to Colonel Imam

"My greetings unto you Brother!

Already the weakness of the Soviet puppets in Kabul is shown, truly and mightily have they crashed down. Our banner hangs in Tarin Kowt, the first of many provincial capitals to come that stand undivided behind the Hizb-e Islami and by that virtue, a justly managed Afghanistan.

And just the same, our soldiers are blessed in their operations near Jalalabad, strangling the communist presence quite easily; without Soviet aid, it is clear that Kabul and the rest of the communist puppets would collapse wholesale.

It is my hope to meet with you in the coming days, so that we may further discuss our cooperation in the region, and perhaps discuss steps towards creating the foundation of a proper government, now that I possess under my aegis a seat of provincial power."
 
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Lt. Gen. Boris Vsevolodovich Gromov, Commander of the 40th Army

A letter to Gen. Shahnawaz Tanai, Chief of Army Staff and Defence Minister.

Comrade General,

Let me first congratulate you on the successful offensive operations, executing calmly and with professional planning. I am proud of the Afghan staff officers involved, and of our liaison officers’ contribution.

I have already agreed with our Ministry of Defence and your honorable President, that we will continue to support these crucial offensive operations to secure the [REDACTED] region. The special purpose units in question, fresh from the victories in Mahmud-e Raqi, will deploy to your aid. The date for the operation is also excellent, for it coincides with our date for the next evacuation phase. Surely it will show the enemies of Afghanistan and socialism that the Soviet Union and the Afghan Army still stand strong in solidarity and that even as our columns move north our aviation and artillery work strongly in your support. We will show the Pakistanis and Americans that they cannot simply waltz into Kabul as they so deeply wish.

I appreciate your words of gratitude and good-will, and will of course convey them to my men. Despite of the hardships and sacrifices, they value and appreciate the proud and friendly people of Afghanistan. I am confident that all necessary and realistic support will still be available to you after our last troops cross back to the Soviet Union. I assume that the first of such deliveries has already touched down in Bagram, and more is to arrive on land and from air.


B. V. Gromov
_ _ _ _

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Col. Sultan Amir Tarar, Special Services Group, Pakistan Army

A secret message to Sayyid Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

Brother Gulbuddin,

Indeed, thanks to God the Merciful the Compassionate, your victories along the road to Jalalabad and in Oruzgan have been received here in Islamabad. The whole Muslim ummah of faithful cheers for you and your mujahedeen, as the era of victory dawns closer and closer. Surely you’re your warriors will gaze upon the city of Kabul from the mountains above. Further armaments shipments will be provided for the continuation of operations along the Jalalabad road, we recommend that you use similar strategies and tactics and slowly strangle and starve the rejectionist communist garrison. God willing by spring Jalalabad will be ours, and will be made to act as the capital of an interim government.

However, we must also prepare for the fact that the government of Kabul will push all their resources and men to a futile battle to retain the city. Do not exhaust your men and do not you’re your faith if that happens. We can focus our attention elsewhere too. The recent liberation of Tarin Kowt indeed represents an interesting opportunity. The people of Qandahar and Helmand patiently wait for liberation and rule by Islam. If our endeavor in Jalalabad for some reason fails, we can and should divert our focus on this front. We recommend that you start planning and preparing for such an alternative. Of course, necessary resources and intelligence will be delivered to your commanders in this region. Nevertheless, we expect to be able to properly set up this government based on the working group established in Peshawar, once you and fellow Islamic factions march to one more victory. But we shall talk this in more detail at a meeting in my office in Peshawar.

May God watch over your righteous path of jihad, brother Gulbuddin.
Colonel Imam
_ _ _ _
GM: Remember that orders are due tomorrow!
 
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PAJJAK-TAPPA, 30 KM WEST OF PAGHMAN
December 5, 1988; 4:28 PM

Quiet. For the first time in 24 hours, no noise is heard. The nightly bombing runs have stopped, the shooting has died down, the goats stay peacefully within their pens - not even the wind dares to break the silence. The sun is slowly rising from the valleys, and light begins to spread across the sky. Alas, as everyone knows, the Mullah is the first one to wake up.


"Allaaaaaaaahu akbaaaar.... allaaaaahu akbaaar asn hadu an-la llaha il allaaaaah."

God is the greatest... god is the greateeeest.. I know there is no God but Allah..
"Asn-hadu anna Muhamaddaaaan, rasul-lah.."
I know Muhammad is the messeeeeenger of gooood...
"Hayya-alas salaaahh haya alal fallaaaah"
Hasteeeen to prayer hasten to succeessesss... for allaaaah
"As-salatu khayruuun minan-nawuum"
Prayer is betteeeer than sleeeeep..

==============================================

" Asalaam-alaikum brothers - we have been victorious. We have destroyed Shaytan's infidels in their every home, we have attacked them in every village and in every valley, we have not given them a day of rest and we have won. Everyday their hold over the cities gets slimmer, every day the righteous Mujahedeen gain ground around Jalalabad, and soon we will be hearing our minarettes.

All of this is thanks to Allah - the rightous, god-fearing Muhameddans have been victorious, while those who sow quarrel, those who do not worship the Prophet and those who try to sow dissent within God's warriors have been defeated even by the infidel. They send their men to martyrdom only to acheive their personal selfish goals, and surely they will continue to take blows if they continue to cooperate with their Jihadi brothers and go by themselves like some lone wolves.

Or, in'shallah, they will see sense, they will heed the words' of God, and they will come to us, they will talk to us, so they will communicate with us, so we can kill the heretic as one, rightous army of Muhammed's warriors."

 
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Commander of 53rd Jowjani Infantry Division, Commander of 6th Corps, General Abdul Rashid Dostum

To Mohammed Najibullah, President of Afghanistan,

Comrade Najib, I thank you for your authorization to create the 6th Corps of our glorious army here in the north. Under my command, the security situation shall be stabilized and the safety of our Soviet brothers guaranteed as they return home.

- Dostum

- - - -​

To Lt. General Boris Gromov, Commander of the Soviet 40th Army,

Comrade General Gromov, President Najibullah has seen fit to authorize the creation of the 6th Corps of the Afghan National Army here in the north to better coordinate the various ANA units and militias of the region as the forces of your 40th Army finish their final withdrawn.

As the new commander of 6th Corps, I would first like to thank you for the service you and your men have done for the defense of Afghanistan against the terrorists plaguing the countryside. I must, unfortunately, request that you continue to provide us with support up until your final withdrawal. As you are aware, 6th Corps is currently engaged in fighting to rescue our besieged forces in [REDACTED], and the situation for both the garrison and the civilians located there continues to worsen by the day. It is imperative that we reach these civilians and these men fighting for their lives as quickly as possible, and that we continue to distract Massoud and his men from any chance to attack your men as they finish their withdrawal. Any assistance the 40th Army may provide, specifically in the form of [REDACTED] and [REDACTED], for the beleaguered defenders of [REDACTED] until 6th Corps can reach them would be greatly appreciated.

If it is no longer possible to grant support such as this any longer, due to the impending withdrawal of the last remnants of 40th Army, my men and I will feel no ill will towards you or your men. You have already done so much for Afghanistan, and we will show the world that we can stand on our own with the tools our brothers in the Soviet Union have given us.

My best regards General Gromov,

Abdul Rashid Dostum
Commander of the 53rd Jowjani Infantry Division
Commander of the 6th Corps
 
December 1988-Febuary 1989

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A street in the Afghan capital, early 1989. Fuel shortages that erupted briefly due to fighting on the Salang highway ended as Soviet convoys started to arrive to Kabul daily.

Kabul


In late December government forces thwarted an attempted bombing attempt utilizing a civilian car against the WAD headquarters by a group of infiltrators, half of whom were found out to be Arabs. Two weeks later, an almost similar attack hit a popular market close to the Presidential palace, killing dozens. A third attack was made in February, targeting a sarandoy checkpoint on the road north from the city, killing several bypassing civilians but most importantly a number of PDPA officials and army officers. These attacks, while definitely not popular, caused fear and anxiety in the capital. Fears that the peace and stability the government had used to provide was about to end. The attacks were later claimed by the Ittehad-e Islami, who promised more to come until the city was freed. An artillery position used to shell Paghman was also attacked by guerrillas, along with government posts inside Maidan Shahr. Partly in retaliation, the bombardment of Paghman was even further intensified, SCUD missiles and bombs hitting the region almost daily. The effects on the well-entrenched and motivated fighters of Abdul Rasul Sayyaf were negligible.

Operation Mercury

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NCOs of the newly formed 'mountain battalions' at a pre-battle briefing during Operation Mercury.

The DRA forces continued their onslaught in the province of Logar, this time attacking the town of Baraki from their newly established outposts, instead of turning their attention towards the besieged garrison of Khost, as expected by spectators and the mujahidin. The offensive began in the western countryside of the city, with government troops advancing from Sheikhabad towards the city, utilizing heavy air strikes against Mahaz-e Milli fighters. The situation became increasingly dismal for the mujahidin, and by early January their commander Wardak ordered a full abandonment of the Mahaz-e Milli positions in the entire region. Heavy weapons, hideouts and entire villages were left behind, many of them instantly seized by DRA troops or fighters loyal to Sayyaf. Wardak himself took shelter in Asadabad, after arriving there via Pakistan. However, almost half of his men had disappeared along the route, either staying behind in their villages, joining other factions or fleeing to the Peshawar refugee camps. Pir Gailani was obviously furious about this surrender of the Mahaz-e Milli strongholds close to Kabul, but there really wasn’t much else Wardak could have possibly done to avert a similar fate. Meanwhile Sayyaf launched several successful ambushes along the road to Ghazni, winning much respect in the former Mahaz-e Milli supporting clans. By February the Baraki area was fully in the hands of the government, and the 8th Division and accompanying armored formations started to prepare checkpoints, bases and supply lines for further action towards Ghazni or Khost. Mohammadi and the Harakat-e Inqilab launched a limited counterattack to the east of Pul-e-Alam, managing to retake some important hills, but failing to threaten the larger part of the new government gains. This however effectively blocked a prepared government anti-insurgency operation on that flank.

Operation Nasr-e-Mubeen

Haqqani slowed down the Nasr-e Mubeen operation in co-operation with Mahaz-e Milli, instead biding his time and letting the winter, siege and lack of supplies hit the government garrison. Meanwhile he ordered large parts of the road connecting Khost to Gardeyz destroyed, mined or otherwise made inoperable. Defections finally started in larger numbers by February, but were soon slowed down after the reports of the victories of Dostum in the north reached them. The Afghan air force flew daily sorties bombing mujahidin from high altitudes, as well as dropping supplies with heavy transport jets, flying high enough to avoid Stinger missiles that had been provided to Khalis in abundant numbers. The increasing likelihood of General Nabi Azimi and the 8th Division coming to their rescue like Dostum had come to Taloqan quickly increased the government garrison’s morale drastically, and frustrated Khalis and the allied Mahaz-e Milli commanders. Meeting with Peshawar with General Gul, the director of Inter-Services Intelligence, Khalis was finally given the permission to assault and seize Khost, as rocket launchers and artillery pieces freshly shipped from China were added to his arsenal. By the end of February everything was in position for the big push.

Mehterlam

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Mujahidin bombarding Mehterlam with recently supplied Type 63 rocket launchers.

While fighting and raids along the Jalalabad highway continued, the situation seemingly eased for the government after the newly created mountaineer troops backed by the Republican Guard and other elite formations managed to restore many sites and hilltops along the crucial highway. However, the mujahidin knew to expect such a move, as the importance of Jalalabad, both strategic and symbolic was widely known. Instead, the mujahidin, this time commanded by Abdul Haq but supported by HiG, struck against the city of Mehterlam, provincial capital of Laghman. Much of its garrison and especially their mobile equipment were needed in the counter-insurgency operations along the Jalalabad highway, presenting a perfect opportunity to the mujahidin in the Operation Arrow operations room. The Pakistani intelligence was also once again heavily involved, providing guidance and most importantly anti-aircraft weaponry. During a week of fighting four jets were downed, including one of the freshly delivered MiG-23 jets, in addition to transport helicopters used to haul in supplies. The government for the first time used a new devious aerial tactic, dropping crude improvised bombs out of helicopters and transport planes flying out of the range of mujahidin air defence capabilities. This was moderately successful.

Mehterlam was besieged entirely by February, and the situation in the east looked as bleak as it had been during the height of the Operation Arrow. On the 15 of February the mujahidin overran Chaharbagh, again threatening the road to Jalalabad. Islamabad rejoiced, confident that the next strike would break the camel’s back and allow the mujahidin to seize the entire thin salient between Surobi and Jalalabad, and two provincial capitals with huge stocks of weapons and ammunition. Likewise, the Afghan General Staff started to draft plans for an immediate defence of Kabul’s outskirts. The next spring was to be decisive. Made popular by these victories, Abdul Haq also found the time to tour the rural parts of Nangarhar and Laghman, managing to bring several thousands of additional fighters of Islam to his ranks.


Dowshi

The most important situational miscalculation of the mujahidin forces so far is committed in the province of Baghlan. The Shia coalition, victorious at Bamian and Chaghcharan, turned their swords against their Ismaili coreligionists in the Kayan valley. Its defenders were local Ismaili militiamen, commanded by the son of their spiritual leader, now an Afghan parliament member and maybe the country’s youngest general to date. Sayed Jafar Naderi had received substantial amounts of equipment from Kabul over the past few months, and his sarandoy militia had been officially outfitted as the 80th Infantry Division of the Afghan Army, controlling important bases and checkpoints throughout the province. At first the attack advanced rapidly. Nobody in Dowshi or Kiligai had anticipated such an assault, in the middle of winter and by Shia Hazaras. The fighters of Abdul Ali Mazari broke into the Kayan valley, seizing control of the westernmost proportion before Sayed Jafar Naderi, who was in Kabul, could react in anyway. Meanwhile Massoud attempted to storm the highway north of Dowshi, but his fighters ended up under attack by government armored formations of the 20th Division from the Kiligai military camp, suffering modest casualties and breaking off.

Despite of their general’s absence, the 80th Division staff was quick to act, alerting the Air Force and the Soviets still present along the highway of an immediate threat, in fact even overplaying the severity of the assault, and the threat posed to Soviet columns passing the Salang highway via Dowshi. Soviet reinforcements of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division were rushed to Dowshi and sent to battle shoulder-to-shoulder with the Ismailis. Within 72 hours, the offensive was stopped, and harsh weather cut the mujahidin supply lines over the mountains. By now the Afghan 2nd Division had arrived along the Salang highway, and merged with the depleted 20th to create a more effective formation. The Afghan and Soviet air forces dropped tens of thousands of kilograms of munitions a day, heavily using cluster and thermobaric bombs against the Hazara fighters lacking effective anti-aircraft weapons. The ensuing bloodbath was a huge humiliation to the victor of Chaghcharan, as over five hundred Hazara militiamen died in the offensive, and over two hundred surrendered or were captured, most of them from his own organization’s ranks. In the first week of January, the government fully restored its positions in the Kayan valley. The defeat also effectively ended any talks of further integration and military co-operation in the Hazara camp. Sayyid Anwari, who had also sent fighters to participate, albeit mostly only in hit-and-run raids on the Salang highway, was criticized too.


Operation Typhoon

After creating a new corps command, the 6th Corps, in Mazar-i-Sharif, inheriting great deal of Soviet command-and-control and other sophisticated equipment for the formation, General Dostum again turned his attention to the grave situation in Taloqan. Due to increasing use of anti-aircraft weapons government supply missions were now conducted with heavy transport jets from high altitudes, greatly reducing the efficiency. Utilizing not only the 53rd, but also the 11th Division, he directed most of the government firepower in the north against Massoud’s fighters on the crucial roads. Free to do so due to a lack of militant activity in the rest of the north, Dostum was confident of victory, especially after proving his case to the Soviet commanders that paid visit to him in Kunduz. Dostum managed to convince the 40th Army commander Gromov to provide him with men and equipment, for a last Soviet ground operation before their withdrawal. The Soviet command codenamed this as Operation Typhoon. Engineering, support and logistics units, many of them withdrawing from Kabul and Bagram were dispatched to Kunduz for it, along with troops from Balkh and Pul-i-Khumri.

The attack begun on the 7th of January, by then the garrison of Taloqan was already in a dire situation. Backed by extensive air strikes and artillery shelling on the nearby hills, the columns of the Uzbek militiamen protected by Soviet gunships made their way east along the road. There were even small diversionary uprisings and infiltrations launched against the mujahidin from the Soviet territory, mostly by native Uzbeks upset with the Tajik-dominated forces of Shura. Involvement of both the KhAD, or now WAD, and Uzbek leaders loyal to Dostum was apparent. The war in the north and in Afghanistan in general, was taking an increasingly ethnic-sectarian tone. On 16th of January, after heavy fighting, the first elements of Dostum reached Taloqan, reinforcing the garrison heavily with manpower, ammunition and food stockpiles. Dostum had wished to continue further, to push back the mujahidin from the nearby mountains, but the Soviet Ministry of Defence overturned the request. By 23rd all the Soviet troops involved had withdrawn towards Mazar-i-Sharif to prepare to leave Afghanistan for good. However, Taloqan had been saved, the government hold in the north strengthened, and Massoud dealt another serious blow. General Dostum was now regarded to be in charge of maybe the most effective and motivated component of the Afghan military. This was further bolstered by the formation of a new division, mostly of ethnic Tajiks, from local militias and sarandoys. The 70th Division of Hairatan was soon followed by the 54th of Kunduz, this a mainly Uzbek formation.


Operation Sledgehammer

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The Afghan Air Force once again proved to be crucial and effective during the operations in the southwest of the country.

Government cargo planes also landed in Qandahar, bringing in direly needed reinforcements. As mujahidin operations focused on the isolated outposts of Zaranj and Spin Boldak, the DRA troops of the 15th Division, reinforced by the 7th Armoured and assorted sarandoy brigades prepared for offensive operations of their own. The entire southwest, from Herat to Qandahar, or rather Ghazni, was regarded as a weak and threatened region by the General Staff, and General Tanai and President Najibullah were both keen to change the situation. While General Baba Jan fortified his foothold in Herat by erecting checkpoints and courting tribes, the 15th launched an offensive on the Qandahar-Laskhar Gah road, fighting the forces of Mohammadi. The road was cleared by February, with minimal losses on both sides, as the fighters of Harakat-i Inqilab knew well enough they were now match for the armour and mechanized troops in the open ground. Further clearing operations along the roads and the Helmand River were planned by the government command, but these were cancelled after the Afghan Air Force was needed elsewhere. Certainly the withdrawal of the Soviet aviation was starting to hurt already by late February, as exhaustion and lack of maintenance started to result in an alarming loss of planes and a continuing decrease in the number of flown missions. Thus the main southern operation of the DRA so far didn’t exactly live up to its name.

Other Regions

Vali Farah Yousef brought much desired victories to the Mahaz-e Milli by further tightening the siege of Zaranj by the Iranian border. The beleaguered garrison was almost entirely ignored by the government, and defections had reached an alarming rate for its prolonged survival.

Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi ordered the Harakat-i Inqilab to attack the crucial Spin Boldak border post in Qandahar province, defended by loyalist tribesmen under Ismatullah Muslim. Even though a few hundred fighters defected with their heavy equipment, the Harakat-I Inqilab fighters failed to seize the crossing, mostly due to the defenders in fact outnumbering the attackers. However, discontent with the pro-government stance of Ismatullah Muslim was rife within the ranks of the Achakzai elders, and another attack could possibly yield result.

In late December fighters of Hekmatyar entered Chaghcharan raising their flags on government buildings while Hazara militiamen retreated in an orderly fashion to the airport. A joint shura was established for administration, and almost immediately demanded that the fighters loyal to Massoud’s Shura-e Nazar leave the city.

WAD operatives are spotted throughout Hazarajat, while the opposition to Abdul Ali Mazari and overt Iranian involvement grew, the whole integrity of the Tehran Eight and Sazman-e Nasr now at risk. The government further attempted to sway the Hazara, with Chairman of the Council of Ministers Sultan Ali Kesthmand, a Hazara, meeting with elders in Kabul and touring the ethnic Hazara areas close to Maidan Shahr.

A minor corruption review exposed an increasing rift between the Khalq and Parcham factions of the PDPA, as insults and threats echoed in the halls of the Council of Ministers. Eventually many Khalqis, including the Interior Minister, resigned, leaving Sultan Ali Kesthmand in control of an inefficient rump cabinet. However, he was able to restore some level of efficiency and professionalism to the country’s diplomatic corps, and a deal of humanitarian aid was negotiated and signed in February in New Delhi.

Several hundred men joined the ranks of Jamiat-e Islami in the Panjsheer valley and Kapisa province following the government’s Mahmud-e Raqi offensive, as rumours and fears circulate over a similar offensive planned against this rebel stronghold. The operation never materialized, and now these men stood ready for a possible offensive operation of their own.

The General Staff in Kabul had intended to send spare equipment from Kiligai camp further west to the government corps in Herat. However, as the roads connecting Dostum’s operational area with those of Baba Jan were effectively cut by mujahidin, and as Dostum’s men were too busy retaining or lifting the siege of Taloqan to accompany reinforcement convoys, these plans were abandoned. However, hundreds of men with some lighter equipment were airlifted to Herat and Shindand airbases, and some equipment was delivered via the Soviet Union.

A new informal alliance and pact of affiliation is created in Asadabad between Sibghatullah Mojaddedi and Abdul Rahim Wardak, with many assuming that Wardak wasn’t even loyal to Pir Gailani and the Mahaz-e Milli anymore. These rumours never received a conclusive clarification, but the rise of tensions was no secret. Asadabad was now potentially becoming a secondary capital for the more moderate forces. The arrival of Wardak however quickly brought an end to the wanton aggression of Mawlawi Rahman’s wahhabists.

Despite of this setback, Mawlawi Rahman and Mawlawi Afzal continued to build up their strength in Kunar and Nuristan, respectively. Many of the remaining independent tribal shuras were forced into submission by the men of the Jamaat al Dawa al Quran, though the luckiest ones took the offers of bribes. Saudi money ended up being almost as efficient in winning over the province as the AKM or the jihadist’s sword. A small number of Mawlawi Rahman’s men also took part in HiG operations along the Jalalabad road.

After negotiations with Pashtun elders, local mujahidin commanders of other groups and even government militia commanders, the Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin managed to establish several smuggling and trading routes connecting the Pakistani border with their slowly growing stronghold in the Oruzgan province. Pakistani money and especially weaponry flocked to the provinces, along with several hundred new volunteers from Peshawar.


Events from around the world

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Col. Gen. Boris Gromov jumping off an APC to pass over the Friendship Bridge on foot. He was, at least officially, the last Soviet soldier to leave the Republic of Afghanistan.

Soviet Withdrawal


The second phase of the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan began after some delays due to combat and bad weather on the 12th of December. Deputy Minister of Defence Varennikov, KGB chief Kryuchkov as well as Gromov himself desperately tried to urge Gorbachev to retain more troops in the country, disguised as volunteers, especially after the escalations along the Salang highway. However, ironically enough, the Soviet-Afghan victories there and at Taloqan further convinced Gorbachev to rule in favour of a full withdrawal. Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze, proponent of the ‘volunteer’ plan, visited Kabul in early January, and after witnessing the preparations made by the Afghan General Staff, as well as the abundance of Soviet aid, joined in support of Gorbachev. The withdrawal continued, and no extra troops apart for a small staff of technicians, staff officers and GRU elements were to stay in the country. On the 25th of January, the US embassy in Kabul was evacuated by plane to Pakistan, as just three days later last Soviet paratroopers left the city and its airport. On the 1st of February, the Bagram airbase was entirely vacated by Soviet troops, and Shindand on the 2nd. Last Soviet troops left the Herat area on the 5th, and passed through the Salang tunnel on the 6th. The Soviet withdrawal was completed, ahead of schedule, on the 12th of February 1989. Gromov, promoted to Colonel General, was the last Soviet soldier to walk over the Friendship Bridge connecting the Afghan city of Hairatan with the city of Termez in the Uzbek SSR. The daily cargo planes still landed in Kabul, and trucks with food and fuel crossed over from the Tashkent highway, but for how long?

Pakistan

Despite of a good start of her coalition government, enjoying a wide popular mandate, Benazir Bhutto soon found herself unable to in fact push through the needed reforms. The sitting president Ghulam Ishaq Khan, allied with the ISI and military, effectively and systematically vetoed all proposed laws. At first she clashed with President George H. W. Bush, a perceived anti-communist ally over the support to the mujahidin, even though in reality she was in no position to end even Pakistani involvement. However this minor split between the CIA and the Islamabad government resulted in the Americans starting to form their own ties with the Jamiat-e Islami. Eventually Bhutto understood that she risked alienating the ISI and military, possibly ending her premiership in a potential and likely military coup. Not wishing to share the fate of her father, in late February she held a meeting in Islamabad with ISI director General Gul and the army chiefs, approving a strategy of further intervention in Afghanistan. In reality, heavier ISI supplies and funds had already been directed to the mujahidin weeks before. Despite of this, and the fact the change of policy happened after the Soviet withdrawal, Bhutto took the credit for the withdrawal of the ‘evil empire’ from Pakistan’s neighbour.

Assorted newsflashes

December 2 – Islamabad. Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of an Islam-dominated state.
December 21 – London. Pan Am Flight 103 is blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing a total of 270 people. Those responsible are believed to be Libyans.
January 4 – Tripoli. Two Libyan MiG-23 Floggers are engaged and shot down by USN F-14 Tomcats over the Gulf of Sidra.
January 20 – Washington D.C. George H. W. Bush is sworn in as the 41st President of the United States.
 
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Turn 3 – March 1989



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General Secretary of PDPA, President of Afghanistan, Mohammad Najibullah (Bonecracker(NL)/Dutchbag)
Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Mohammad Hasan Sharq (OPEN)
Minister of State Security, Ghulam Faruq Yaqubi (Terraferma)
Minister of Interior, VACANT (OPEN)
Minister of Communications, Mohammad Aslam Watanjar (LatinKaiser)
Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Sultan Ali Keshtmand (jeeshadow)

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Chief of Army Staff, Minister of Defense, Shahnawaz Tanai (Julius Maximus)
Commander of Afghan Air Force, Abdul Qadir Aqa (Shynka)
Commander of 53rd Jowjani Infantry Division, Abdul Rashid Dostum (King50000)
Commander of 4th Herati Corps, Abdul Wahid Baba Jan (Korona)
Commander of Jalalabad elements of 11th Infantry Division, Nur ul-Haq Ulumi (OPEN)
Commander of 8th Infantry Division, Central Corps, Mohammad Nabi Azimi (KF25)
Commander of Bagram Garrison, Mohammed Zafar Khan (Corman50)
Commander of Baghlan Ismaili Sarandoy, Sayed Jafar Naderi (MastahCheef117)
Commander of Hairatan Sarandoy, Abdul Momim (OPEN)
Commander of pro-government Achakzai tribal militia in Kandahar, Ismatullah Muslim (OPEN)

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Leader of Gulbuddinist faction, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (Noco19)
Leader of Khalist faction, Mohammad Yunus Khalis (Kho)
Khalist Mujahedin commander in Kabul, Abdul Haq (BlackCrown)
Khalist Mujahedin commander in Paktia, Jalaluddin Haqqani (OPEN)

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Leader of Jamiat e-Islami, Burhanuddin Rabbani (aedan777)
Party Mujahidin Commander, Ahmad Shah Massoud (baboushreturns)
Mujahedin Commander in Herat, Mohammad Ismail Khan (OPEN)
Mujahedin Commander in Northern Afganistan, Atta Muhammad Nur (OPEN)
Mujahedin Commander in Southern Afganistan, Mullah Naqib (OPEN)

Minor Mujahedin Groups

Leader of Harakat e-Inghilab, Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi (Shebedaone)
Leader of Mahaz-e Milli, Sayyid Ahmed Gailani (Rolman99)
Commander of Mahaz-e Milli Mujahedin, Abdul Rahim Wardak (Dadarian)
Commander of Mahaz-e Milli Mujahedin near Shindand, Vali Farah Yousef (Mikkel Glahder)
Leader of Ittihad-e Islami, Abdul Rasul Sayyaf (Cleeque)

Shiite Mujahedin Groups

Co-leader of Al-Nasr, Abdul Ali Mazari (OPEN)
Leader of Revolutionary Council of Islamic Unity of Afghanistan, Sayyid Ali Beheshti (OPEN)
Leader of Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, Muhammad Asif Mohseni (OPEN)
Commander of Islamic Movement of Afghanistan Mujahedin, Sayed Hussein Anwari (tyriet)

Other Resistance Groups

Leader of Movement for Popular Revolution, Sayyid Abdul Noor (sealy300)
Leader of Society for the Call to the Quran, Jamil al-Rahman (Maxwell500)
 
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Hezb-e Islami Khalis

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'I am with you. So make those who believe stand firm. I will throw fear into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Then smite the necks and smite of them each finger.' - Qur'an [8:12]

Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem [In the Name of Allah, the Beneficient, the Merciful]

From Mawlawi Mohammad Yunus Khalis to 'Abd al-Rasul Sayyaf,

Al-Salamu 'Ala Man Itaba'a al-Huda [Peace be Upon Him Who Follows the Right Guidance]
Ama Ba'd:

We wish to, first and foremost, congratulate you and your brave mujahideen for your noble and stalwart display against the incessant and ever more aggressively disproportionate attacks of the shuravi regime. With Allah's aid you wll, insha'Allah, resist them always. You are His hand and His punishment against them for all their crimes and all that they have done to our beautiful homeland. We were safe and secure in the care of the Most High, the evils of civil strife and sectarian divisions were held at bay by those whom Allah, in His wisdom and mercy, had put in power; until they came and let loose discord and misery. So I congratulate you on your successes, and I congratulate you on the noble purpose for which Allah Most Glorious is using you.

However, my brother, I must advise you as a sincere and loving brother does, and as one whom Allah Most High has blessed with some knowledge in the din [religion] which perhaps He, in His wisdom, has not blessed you. I remind you, my beloved brother, that the killing of innocents is not our way. The killing of our fellow brethren, forced into submission against their will by the shuravi tyrants, is a most grave sin. To kill even one of those - and they are your brothers, and they look to you for help and liberation - as to kill all of humanity. Do not send your men to death and perdition in these 'suicide attacks', news of which has reached our ears. My brother, this is not our way.

I know that the crimes of the shuravis and their great arrogance may anger us, but our reaction must always be Islamic. We must in our every action exemplify that which we want for this country: a true, Islamic, united, powerful, dignified, honorable, elevated Afghanistan. Do not allow the whisperings of the Evil One to enter your heart, and do not allow him to obscure your vision so you see that which is reprehensible and evil as good. And I end with these, the words of Allah the Most Truthful: 'Say "Shall we tell you who has the most to lose by their actions? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works.' [Q18:103-4]

Be not of them, my beloved brother. I advise you, should my advice be acceptable to you, act accordingly; if not consider me as one of your tribesmen and think my speech preposterous, and throw it into the field of forgetfulness.

Wal-Salam 'Alaykum wa-Rahmat Allah wa-Barakatuhu
 
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Brother in Jihad, Muhamed Khalis - righteously guided by Allah

I thank you for your kind words and sincere advice - I must likewise confess my deep respect and admiration in the face of your great victory over the enemy outside of Jalalabad, your continued effort and sacrifice will surely result in a swift and total annihalation of the communist warriors in Mehterlam, Jalalabad, and, in'shallah' all Afghanistan. Your devotion to the fight against the infidel, surely noted in the heavens, far outweigh my own.

As for the blessed Martyrs of Maidan and Kabul and the holy warriors of late December, they have done their duty to Allah and will see their 72 virgins when they descend to Jannah - day and night, the people of Paghman are incessently, relentlessly, brutally bombed by the satanic storm of metal brought unto them by their so-called 'democratic government' in Kabul. Day and night, the mujahedeen must stay awake to see whether a communist plane drops a communist bomb onto a Paghman village - day and night, the Pasthun people of the countryside must rebuild their houses and squat in their basements because a Soviet made rocket-car targeted their village - such are the horrors of war, inflicted upon the Afghan people by the PDPA. And the DPA calls us, the terrorists. The DPA calls us, the killers, while it is them who have started this war. The communists have started a battle with Dar-al-Islam - first they thwart our Shah, then they burn our mosques and murder our imams; finally, they invite an invader on our own land, they bring in a horde of reds to terrorize Muhammad's people.

And yet, through their faith and through their martyrdom, we have sent the Soviet back into his steppes with his tail between his legs. The largest empire of mankind, defeated by the sheer might of Allahs's will. Now, it is our time to terrorize the infidel. Now, the enemy is naked, unshielded by his bigger friend, and now, we are free to show him the true might of the Muslim man.

Nonetheless, I must stress that we did not target innocent Muslims - we did not shoot into the crowd, or blow bombs inside mosques, as does the PDPA, we simply take the fight into the heartland of the enemy. Every attack shall get closer to the very lungs of the monster Shaytan has created. Every attack shall be more bloody, more damaging to the structural health of this crusader state, every attack shall occur higher and higher within the PDPA hierarchy, we shall strike harder and deeper into the Kabul aristocracy, so even their most important officials shudder when they hear the very word 'Mujahedeen' - perhaphs then, they shall think twice before they attack the soldiers of Allah, before they scurry to do the devil's bidding.

However, as stated before, I take your advice to heart, and take action only after thorough communication with my brothers in arms. Thus, our martyrs will from now on avoid civilian targets, for, as you so truthfully state, anger and revenge is not the bidding of Allah.

You speak the truth, brother, and I thank you truly for your advice.

Abdul Rasul Sayyaf



They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah . But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper. (Quran 4:89)
 
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In the name of God, most Merciful, most Gracious,

My dear brothers and sisters, may the peace and blessings of God be upon you on this auspicious day, the 11th anniversary of the Saur Revolution. Today, we will celebrate the progress our country has made. We celebrate that the people of Afghanistan own the land that they work. We celebrate that every year, more and more Afghans can read. Our young boys and girls go to school. We have, with help of our friends in the north, built great roads and hospitals. All the bounties and glory that our land has gained, the freedoms our country has attained. You, the soldiers, are shedding your blood every day, every night, to make sure that we do not fall back to where we were eleven years ago or earlier; backwards, impoverished, our fate at the whim of foreign nations. And I do not doubt for a moment that every Afghan son stands with you in your aim.

Indeed, the soldiers and Sarandoy of Afghanistan celebrate this day for the first time in nearly a decade without Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan. Let there be no clearer sign that they defend a free country; no foreign troops, no foreign bases, no puppet-masters will be necessary to defend our government and country. We are perfectly capable of doing so ourselves, and that is what our soldiers are showing in Lashkar Gah, the Salang Pass, Taloqan, Pul-e Alam, Dowshi, and many other places. With direct Soviet assistance gone, the average observer will note that this invalidates the presentation of the terrorist campaign as a battle against the Soviet Union. I would like to believe that many did not understand the situation, and did indeed view the Soviet presence in Afghanistan as the action of an imperialist rather than that of a friend. To those people, I will say that they should go home. Those who will lay down their weapons in this blessed month of Ramadan, they need not fear repercussions. It is time to go home to your families and support them again. It is time for all of us to come together. We need national reconciliation, and everyone has their own part, however big or small, to play in it.

However, it must be known that there are also those who do not have the pure intentions of those men. There are paid and supported by Pakistan, by Iran, and by their backers in turn. They are not patriots, they are pawns of those who seek to subjugate Afghanistan and its people once more. I am confident that they will fail in their damned endeavours. They may think of us what they want, but we will make them know that we are Afghans. We are the people who broke the jaw of Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and the British Empire. But we did that when we were united. Right now we are divided and vulnerable, which our neighbours are taking advantage of. But if we know our history, we will united and show our enemies at home and abroad what it means for their designs when the people of Afghanistan are united!

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The American defense attaché in Islamabad detailed;

"....In the Saur Revolution military parade, we have seen a number of well-maintained vehicles on which the paint has barely dried, and troops who's equipment mirrors that of the Soviet VDV. What worries us most, however, is the pair of "Buratino" MLRS flamethrowers which is still in a highly experimental stage, and it indicates to us that while the USSR does no longer maintains combat formations in the Afghan theatre, Moscow is still committed to the defence of the Najibullah Regime...."
 
GM: Stats have been sent to faction leaders again. Orders for March-May 1989 are due on Monday (19th of June) at 17:59 GMT.
 
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"In'shallah' allies, listeners, and those that are devout.

The shuravi hammered our positions again and again, raining down hellfire upon us, our villages, and our tribes. There was no end to the horrid and devilish shuravi. While I tried to maintain the strength of Allah and push through, the brave mujhadeen which I led could not hold, and in deference to the lives they were given by the Prophet (Pbuh) I retreated from our positions.

To which, we received no support. Our leader, our head, the man who spoke to and of us abandoned us. As we died beneath foreign built bombs, Pir Sayyid Ahmed Gailani housed Baloch separatists. As we died in the mountains protecting faithful, innocent families, Pir Sayyid Ahmed Gailani entertained foreigners in lavish dinners. As I was forced to flee from spite made into steel and fire, Pir Sayyid Ahmed Gailani grew angry and despondent at my failures.

To which I must cast off any allegiance to this man. Although he was a friend and a colleague in the arms of Allah, he does not have the faithful of the North in his heart. Corrupted by Baloch sympathisers from enemy states, a djinn has replaced a man I respected for ages.

To which we must become devils ourselves, mobile and dangerous. Hound the faithless, and oppose them where they thought no opposition possible. My men, what left of them, will form the Janjiwid Corps. Furthermore, we entreat our good friend Gulbuddin Hekmatyar to ally in a united front to oppose all who would see this nation fall to influences foreign and domestic."
 
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Gentlemen!

We are about to commence a great operation to strengthen our control over the east and the border areas! While we may feel safe here in Kabul, our capital, we must not rest easy. A bomb can go off any time, or a dedicated push whenever the enemy feels like it. It is a situation that our army finds intolerable! And that is why you, brave men, warriors, sons of Afghanistan, are tasked with ensuring that the road leading to Jalalabad remains open.

This will by no means be an easy task. The enemy's interests, strategy, and movements all seems to indicate that both in the city of Khost and in Jalalabad there will soon be great offensives, aiming to unseat the legitimate government of Afghanistan from those cities and to establish the heartland of a Pakistani puppet. This can not be allowed to happen. That is why to the south, our comrades are moving to relieve Khost. This time, they are alone. And that is why we are going to move east to relieve Jalalabad. Again, we will have to do this alone. But the combat performance of our army in the last few months since our Soviet friends have left shows that we are up to the task.

Gentlemen, I have no doubt that you are capable of doing this. The entire army and all our people are looking to us. It is upon us to safeguard the independence of our country as our ancestors have done against the British before us. On our shoulders lies the weight to show Pakistan, America, and the world that the Afghan National Army is capable of frustrating all the plans that they might have and that they would be better off stopping any attempts to subjugate us. And I firmly believe, my friends, that we will not be subjugated by any other nation. But I can only believe that when I see you fight every day and every night to keep our country free. And that is what you shall do until we reach Mehterlam and Jalalabad.

Go, now, and make your country and army proud!




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The Kabul-Jalalabad highway wasn't officially, actually, really, completely cut but it didn't make much difference. If one were to drive on the road to Kabul, a narrow pass would lead to an open plain, and that plain -the scene of heavy fighting- was what seperated Jalalabad from Mehterlam. Then, further west, a bad-looking pass leading to Kabul. Every day a convoy or two came carreening through it, going as fast as it could to bring supplies to the beleagured city of Jalalabad. Some days, they would come in unharmed. Other days, it was silent. Today, however, would not be a silent day. At the Darunta Dam, the furthest north-ward position of the 11th Infantry, Nasrat and his new friends of the Heavy Weapons detachment had long-set up their NSV machine guns and sandbag emplacements, overlooking the two roads coming in from the north. Together with him were two SPG-9s, two 122mm mortars, and a motor rifle platoon. All in all, a pretty solid position.

An Mi-24 flew overhead, spitting rockets and cannon fire into the valley and hills that they were looking at. After its pass, it made a hard right turn and came towards the dam, using the mountains for cover from returning fire and greeting the boys on the dam with a low pass. As the sound of the rotors faded, the sound of nearby gunfire didn't. Small arms fire, sure, but also heavy machine guns. The reason behind this soon became clear as a BRMD-2 drove around the corner as if Shaytan himself chased it, followed by a number of Kamaz trucks and flatbeds with anti-air guns in the back.

"Is that a rocket pod?", one of the gunners mused about a BRDM-2 in the convoy as the whole circus turned the corner, riddled with bulletholes and steaming engines. Around the corner, they were generally safe from terrorist guns -they figured out not to face the dam earlier- and were on home turf. six of the seven trucks that turned the corner went through the Darunta tunnel without problem, except for one with lots of steam coming from the engine - standing out more by slamming the brakes and crashing into a block of concrete. The screeching of the brakes and sound of the crash stood out the rumble of engines at 500 metres away.

Before everyone was done watching the show a smoker's voice yelled that someone should go get a jeep and get the poor sod driving the truck. Nasrat, his friends Ali and Ahmad, and a Medic ran towards a UAZ-469 and drove as fast as they could through the tunnel and within a minute, AKMs at the ready, Nasrat jumped out and tried to open the cabin of the truck, assisted by the medic who came along. "It's leaking fuel!", Ahmad yelled, prompting Nasrat and the medic to run to the other door, running through a growing pool of fuel, oil, and coolant to jump on the side of the cabin and open the door with no trouble. Inside the driver was still unconsciousconscious but not entirely aware of his predicament. The windshield had shattered, ripping his uniform. His trousers were soaked with blood, possibly hinting at a broken leg. And his face was covered in blood from slamming into the steering wheel. With no regard for this man being in a sub-optimal condition, Nasrat put his hands under the man's shoulders and pulled him away from the driver's position.

"Take his legs, doc", Nasrat said as he walked away from the truck with the driver in his hands. The medic complied and the two men carried him to the jeep, laying him out in the back. Quickly concluding that this left no room for Nasrat and Ahmad who were shit out of luck with no room to hang on to the back, the two had to walk back through the tunnel towards the base. Out of sheer childish curiousity, Nasrat looked what was in the back of the truck but was quickly dissuaded from doing that by Ahmad, noting that the truck had caught fire. The right course of action here seemed to be running away and back to the base, which Nasrat promptly did until he reached the tunnel, at which point he resumed in a normal walking pace back to the checkpoint. The energy expended made him realise how hungry and how thirsty he was. Any terrorist attacks on the dam could very well be fended off, but the problem was the lack of water and hunger. The army had said that it's permissible not to observe Ramadan for soldiers in battle, but the supply situation made that decision for them. So for now, they had to stay out of the sun and be as inactive as they possibly could, hydrating when permitted. Either they needed more supply drops, or the road had to be opened so that a lot more food could come through. Or else, it wouldn't be Hezb ul-Islam that would kill him.
 
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Notes from the presidency

To whom it may concern:


In accordance with Article 75 of the constitution of the Republic of Afghanistan, I hereby approve the appointment of General Mohammad Aslan Watanjar as Minister of the Interior.

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To the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Cde. Sultan Ali Keshtmand

Cde. Keshtmand,

There are vastly more important things to do than hold the government and its officials to European and American standards of non-corruption. Furthermore, you could create unnecessary conflict between members of the cabinet and yourself, which we can ill-afford at the current moment. That being said, I hereby request you to cease any such activities in the future.


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To: High-ranking Parchami members of the PDPA,

We can't afford conflict within the party. Accordingly, I would like you all to not seek conmflict and try to mend it wherever you see it.

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To: Minister of Defence, Chief of Staff, General Shahnawaz Tanai,


After consideration, I will allow you to raise a new division (or not) in the Central Corps area as you see fit.
 
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Defense Minster, Chief of Army Staff, Shahnawaz Tanai
A private meeting was held with prominent Khalq party members in Kabul, led by General Tanai:

"Comrades, I hear of political disturbances that have erupted the past few months between Khalq and Parcham members of government. This is very displeasing to me while the countryside is being ravaged by the terrorists who plague our country. I brought this meeting together to reiterate that yes, our goal of a socialist state is one we all strive for, but political infighting between our fellow Afghans while the enemy is at the gates is one I shall not tolerate.

As such Comrades, after discussion with the President which we have both agreed to, we shall be reserved with the issues between our two parties and focus on the well-being of the Afghan people and the destruction of the terrorists throughout the country. After we pass the point where the terrorists are not a direct threat to the state, may we begin the process of political engagement with the Parcham. If you do not follow this then you have only yourselves to blame if we fail in our mission to bring the enlightenment of socialism to Afghanistan.

Stay steadfast Comrades, and let us bring total victory to Afghanistan over our enemies."
 
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Hezb-e Islami Khalis

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'I am with you. So make those who believe stand firm. I will throw fear into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Then smite the necks and smite of them each finger.' - Qur'an [8:12]

As the holy month of Ramadan slowly approached its close, Mawlawi Mohammad Yunus Khalis made one of his regular visits to the front lines. Standing with the besiegers on the final Friday of Ramadan, he delivered his khutba and led the prayers, and led the night prayers of taraweeh later that night. In his khutba, he spoke thus;

Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem [In the Name of Allah, the Beneficient, the Merciful]

All praise is due to Allah, we praise Him, and we seek His help, and we seek forgiveness from Him, and we seek refuge with Allah from the evils of our own selves, and from our wrong deeds and misdoings. He whom Allah guides, he is the guided one, and He whom Allah leads astray, then he shall find none to guide him, and I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and messenger, and the chosen from amongst His creation and His friend.
Ama Ba'd:

Ye slaves of God, I remind you and I remind myself to fear God. Fear God and none other, for he in whose breast is the fear of God can never fear anything else. He in whose heart is a true fear, a fear balanced by true love for our Lord Most High, can never fear anything else and can never find within himself love for anything in this passing, transient, illusionary world. This world is but a mist, we live and we die and we make merry and we grieve, and in it are some joys - women and children and wealth and land and power - which the ignorant chase as though they were perpetual. Know that, as Allah Most High does say: '...the worldly life is but a play and an amusement, and a show of beauty, and exchange of boastful claims between you, and a competition of increase in riches and children. It is like plants that spring up after the rain: their growth at first delights the sowers, but then you see them wither away, turn yellow, and become stubble. There is terrible punishment in the next life as well as forgiveness and approval from God; the life of this world is only an illusory pleasure.' [Q57:20]

The true life, my beloved brothers and students, honoured mujahideen in the path of God, is the life to come. There are some who have sold that true life for this life and chosen to toil and work here - it is most certainly a business and an investment that shall fail. They have bought this world for the next, never will such a transaction reap rewards. As for those who have sold themselves and their lives to God in exchange for paradise and eternal bliss by His side and with our blessed and pious and beloved forefathers, they are the ones who have won. Indeed, those who make business with God can never lose; they who invest in God are certain to reap all they have invested multiplied many times over.

Mujahideen!- there is no doubt in my heart or mind that you all have sold your selves and your lives to God, you have sold your selves to He who is most entitled and most worthy of you, and have willingly submitted yourselves to He before whom all things submit. For in this world, if you do not free your self by submitting your self to Allah, then you will find your self the slave of your desires, or of women, or wealth, or of any of the infinite distractions and illusions and false idols of this world. When you are the slave of Allah, only then are you free of this world and only then are you truly free. How beautiful is it, then, that we who embrace our slavehood to He who owns everything are the only ones truly free.

Look to our fellow Afghans who have abandoned their faith and abandoned their ways and chosen to ensalve themselves to the false ideologies and promises of this world. The Evil One has cast upon their hearts a veil and upon their eyes a mist and in their ears there is thickest cotton and their minds are clouded. They have accepted into their hearts the falsehoods and promises of the materialistic, atheist shuravi ideology. They have rejected Allah and bought this world, bought falsehood, and abandoned the true life and all Truth. What a wasted investment, what greivous loss and darkness they are in.

Soon you will face them once again, they will attempt to rain fire upon you from the heavens - but they realise little that the Lord of the Heavens is by our side. And they will attempt to drive us from our land - but they realise little that the Lord of the Land is by our side. And they will try to oust and oust Islam from our Afghanistan which has for endless centuries been the bastion and shield of Islam against all the kuffar and all the mushriks and all the Satanic ideologies that have attempted to conquer our Ummah. They will not succeed. They will fall before the might of Islamic Afghanistan as there fell before them hundreds of others. Conquerers have come and gone, kings have risen and fallen, wars have come and passed. And in this our land, Islam has remained. And it will remain until Allah so wills and the Gates of Gog and Magog are thrown wide open and the heavens are torn asunder and the earth itself releases what is in its bowels! This is Afghanistan, we are Afghans, and this your religion has mixed with your soil and mixed with your blood and is in your flesh to the extent that it has been said and it shall soon be declared: he is not an Afghan who rejects Islam! Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar.

Wal-Salam 'Alaykum wa-Rahmat Allah wa-Barakatuhu, Aqim al-Salah
 
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An Expanded Brotherhood
A Message to Wardak

"My greetings unto you Brother!

You have fought with the due zeal of a mujahid in the name of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (PbuH), and let it be well known that such a warrior always has place among me and my people.

It is a great shame and sign of weakness that Gailani has squandered you, as crippled you in your service to Islam, as done a great many evils to our land in the name of wrong aims. Without him, I have hopes that the Janjiwid Corps will be the blade which slices the heels of our Communist enemy, so we may pray.

Let us be united under the aegis of the Hezb-e Islami and let our front be one which delivers our lands back in the arms of righteous guidance, away from the tenants of the Soviets and towards the tenants of Allah."
 
((I'm sorry I have to resign, I can't keep interest))
 

"By Spring of 1989 Massoud was battling through one of the hardest times of his resistance, only topped by the end of the 1985 truce with the Soviet Union. Yet come what may the Lion prepared his men for the struggles to come. Hekmatyar had been a thorn in his side ever since they had been classmates in Kabul Polytechnic Institute, yet he hoped the man would not seek the absolute destruction of Chaghcharan simply to claim control of the city. In Herat, Massoud hoped that perhaps he might be able to strengthen the Jihad there now that the Soviets had left. In Panjshir he and his men steeled themselves for the battles ahead, Massoud prayed that by the time the year was out Kabul would be in free Afghan hands once more. Yet, no matter what happened the Lion of Panjshir would continue on the fight for as long as it took until Afghanistan was free from the mountain passes of the Hindu Kush to the plains of Herat and the rugged terrain of Kunduz."
-The Lion of Panjshir, Steven Coll 2023