1990 Afghan coup attempt

Last updated
1990 Afghan coup d'état attempt
Part of the Afghan Civil War (1989–1992)
DateMarch 6, 1990
Location
Afghanistan
Result
  • Afghan government victory
Belligerents

Flag of Afghanistan (1987-1992).svg Afghanistan

Supported by:
Flag of Afghanistan (1978-1980).svg Pro-Najibullah Khalqists 		Military faction
Supported by:
Flag of Afghanistan (1978-1980).svg Pro-Tanai Khalqists
Flag of Hezbi Islami Gulbuddin.svg Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Afghanistan (1987-1992).svg Mohammad Najibullah Flag of Afghanistan (1978-1980).svg Shahnawaz Tanai
Flag of Hezbi Islami Gulbuddin.svg Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Flag of Afghanistan (1978-1980).svg Assadullah Sarwari
Flag of Afghanistan (1978-1980).svg Sayed Mohammad Gulabzoy
Flag of Afghanistan (1978-1980).svg Bacha Gul Wafadar
Flag of Afghanistan (1978-1980).svg Mohammad Hasan Sharq
Flag of Afghanistan (1978-1980).svg Nazar Mohammad
Flag of Afghanistan (1978-1980).svg Mohammad Dawran (alleged)
Military support

The 1990 Afghan coup d'etat attempt occurred on March 6, 1990, when General Shahnawaz Tanai, a hardline communist and Khalqist who served as Minister of Defence, attempted to overthrow President Mohammad Najibullah of the Republic of Afghanistan. The coup attempt failed and Tanai was forced to flee to Pakistan. [1]

Contents

Background

Tanai, who has been described alternatively as a "radical nationalist" and a "hard-line communist" of the radical Khalq faction of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, [2] was fiercely anti-mujahideen yet launched an unlikely alliance with the Islamist (but also nationalist) rebel Gulbuddin Hekmatyar of the Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin party. Tanai was against Najibullah's peace plans and supported a military solution to the conflict. Hekmatyar ordered his fighters to intensify their attacks against the Kabul regime in support of Tanai. The success of the coup was taken for granted. A previous coup attempt by Khalqists was foiled in December 1989, to which Tanai has been linked. [3] The coup occurred a year following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. [4]

Tanai was apparently also supported by those important Khalqists who remained in the Politburo, Assadullah Sarwari and Sayed Mohammad Gulabzoy, respectively their country's envoys to Aden and Moscow. They were said to have been intimately connected with the coup and with Tanai. Sarwari, an old comrade of Tanai, was the chief of the Afghan intelligence (KHAD) under Nur Muhammad Taraki. He was a Khalqist hardliner known as the assassin of a rival Parcham faction member. Gulabzoy was minister of interior before being exiled on a diplomatic assignment to Moscow. [5]

Tanai stated that he didn't disagree with President Najibullah's views, but rather with his policy on the military.

Najibullah was transferring all the privileges of the Army to the tribal militias and in particular to his special guard. I was against this because the Afghan Army was losing efficiency.

The Pakistani government supported the Coup in the moment hoping to weaken the Najibullah government although Tanai himself was no friend of Pakistan as he had been insistent to Najibullah to point SCUD missiles at Islamabad in retlation for supporting the rebels. [6] [7] Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's plea to the other six party leaders to aid Tanai and Hekmatyar was rebuked as a disgrace to the jihad. Most of the factions viewed General Tanai as an opportunistic war criminal and hardline communist who was responsible for carpet-bombings in portions of the major western city of Herat in March 1979. The coup attempt was partially financed by Osama bin Laden, who bribed Afghan Armed Forces officers into deserting. [2]

Coup attempt

Tanai ordered air strikes against government buildings. Jets flown by Afghan Air Force pilots loyal to Tanai flew in Kabul to bomb the targets, but most were repelled by the Army. Air Force Commander Abdul Qadir Aqa was an accomplice. Three rockets landed near the Presidential Palace. [8] However the expected uprising by the Afghan Army didn't take place: Tanai had no direct control of troops inside Kabul. Tanai had sent the 15th Tank Brigade into the city to attack the Palace. Interior Minister Mohammad Aslam Watanjar played a major role in halting the coup plotters. He ordered a battalion to intercept the tanks and told his forces to capture Tanai "dead or alive". There was street fighting near the palace as well, [9] with the WAD-led Gard-e-Khas paramilitary force additionally playing an important role involved in suppressing the coup. [10] Commandos of the defunct (since 1988) Afghan Air Assault Brigades were also recorded attempting to defuse the situation after the coup attempt failed. [11]

President Najibullah appeared on television at 10 p.m. the same night to prove that he was physically there and in effective control of the state apparatus. The President gathered the support of important Parchamite militias, including the elite Special Guard to defuse the plot.

Najibullah later claimed that the Soviet Union offered help to defeat the coup, to which he thanked the offer and replied: "There's no need now. But if we face a foreign attack that will be another matter", referring to Pakistan. [12]

Aftermath

In the afternoon of March 7, Tanai escaped to Bagram Air Base and fled by helicopter to Peshawar, Pakistan where he was greeted and publicly accepted as an ally by Hekmatyar. [13] Eventually, he settled there in Pakistan. Tanai would later state the reason he fled to Pakistan was his only options were Iran, the Soviet Union or Pakistan, knowing the Soviets would probably turn him over and Iran was hostile to the Khalqists he decided Pakistan as Hekmatyar promised him protection. He lived in exile until later returning to Afghanistan. A general and two commanders loyal to Tanai were killed during the coup attempt.

Najibullah grew even more suspicious of Khalqists, and thus another purge occurred, further deepening the rift between the two factions. [14] In all, 127 Khalqist military officers were arrested for the attempted coup, including Sarwari and Gulabzoy. Twenty-seven officers escaped and later showed up at a press conference with Hekmatyar in Peshawar. Former Minister of Tribal Affairs, Bacha Gul Wafadar and Minister of Civil Aviation Mohammad Hasan Sharq were among the conspirators. [8] General Watanjar was awarded a four-star rank and became the new Minister of Defence following his efforts against the coup plotters. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babrak Karmal</span> Afghan communist politician (1929-1996)

Babrak Karmal was an Afghan communist revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Afghanistan, serving in the post of general secretary of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hafizullah Amin</span> Afghan communist politician

Hafizullah Amin was an Afghan communist head of state, who served in that position for a little over three months, from September 1979 until his assassination. He organized the Saur Revolution of 1978 and co-founded the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA), ruling Afghanistan as General Secretary of the People's Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammad Najibullah</span> Leader of Afghanistan from 1986 to 1992

Mohammad Najibullah Ahmadzai, commonly known as Dr. Najib, was an Afghan politician who served as the General Secretary of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, the leader of the one-party ruling Republic of Afghanistan from 1986 to 1992 and as well as the President of Afghanistan from 1987 until his resignation in April 1992, shortly after which the mujahideen took over Kabul. After a failed attempt to flee to India, Najibullah remained in Kabul. He lived in the United Nations headquarters until his assassination during the Taliban's capture of Kabul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Republic of Afghanistan</span> State in Central Asia from 1978 to 1992

The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, later known as the Republic of Afghanistan, was the Afghan state between 1978 and 1992. It was bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, by Iran to the west, by the Soviet Union to the north, and by China to the northeast. Established by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) following the Saur Revolution in April 1978, it came to rely heavily on the Soviet Union for financial and military assistance and was therefore widely considered to be a Soviet satellite state. The PDPA's rise to power is seen as the beginning of the ongoing Afghan conflict, and the majority of the country's years in existence were marked by the Soviet–Afghan War. It collapsed by the end of the First Afghan Civil War in April 1992, having lasted only four months after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulbuddin Hekmatyar</span> Afghan politician, mujahid and drug trafficker

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is an Afghan politician, and former mujahideen leader and drug trafficker. He is the founder and current leader of the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin political party, so called after Mohammad Yunus Khalis split from Hezbi Islami in 1979 to found Hezb-i Islami Khalis. He twice served as prime minister during the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan</span> Ruling party of Afghanistan from 1978 to 1992

The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) was a Marxist–Leninist political party in Afghanistan established on 1 January 1965. Four members of the party won seats in the 1965 Afghan parliamentary election, reduced to two seats in 1969, albeit both before the party was fully legal. For most of its existence, the party was split between the hardline Khalq and moderate Parcham factions, each of which claimed to represent the "true" PDPA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Defense (Afghanistan)</span> Afghan government ministry responsible for military and national defense matters

The Ministry of Defense is the cabinet ministry of Afghanistan responsible for overseeing the military of Afghanistan. The ministry is located in Kabul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalq</span> Faction of the Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan

Khalq was a faction of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). Its historical de facto leaders were Nur Muhammad Taraki (1967–1979), Hafizullah Amin (1979) and Sayed Mohammad Gulabzoy (1979–1990). It was also the name of the leftist newspaper produced by the same movement. The Khalq wing was formed in 1967 after the split of the party due to bitter resentment with the rival Parcham faction which had a differing revolutionary strategy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shahnawaz Tanai</span> Afghan politician and military officer (1950–2022)

Lieutenant General Shahnawaz Tanai was an Afghan politician and military officer who served as the Chief of General Staff of the Afghan National Army until his defection to neighbouring Pakistan following a failed coup d'état in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammad Aslam Watanjar</span> Afghan politician and military officer

Mohammad Aslam Watanjar was an Afghan military officer and politician. He played a significant role in the coup in 1978 that killed the Afghan President Mohammad Daoud Khan, starting the Saur Revolution. Watanjar later became a member of the politburo in the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghan Civil War (1989–1992)</span> 1989–1992 internal conflict in Afghanistan

The 1989–1992 Afghan Civil War, also known as the FirstAfghan Civil War, took place between the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and the end of the Soviet–Afghan War on 15 February 1989 until 27 April 1992, ending the day after the proclamation of the Peshawar Accords proclaiming a new interim Afghan government which was supposed to start serving on 28 April 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghan Civil War (1992–1996)</span> 1992–1996 civil war in Afghanistan

The 1992–1996 Afghan Civil War, also known as the Second Afghan Civil War, took place between 28 April 1992—the date a new interim Afghan government was supposed to replace the Republic of Afghanistan of President Mohammad Najibullah—and the Taliban's occupation of Kabul establishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on 27 September 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saur Revolution</span> 1978 coup détat in Afghanistan

The Saur Revolution or Sowr Revolution, also known as the April Revolution or the April Coup, was staged on 27–28 April 1978 by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) and overthrew Afghan president Mohammad Daoud Khan, who had himself taken power in the 1973 Afghan coup d'état and established an autocratic one-party system in the country. Daoud and most of his family were executed at the Arg in the capital city of Kabul by Khalqi military officers, after which his supporters were also purged and killed. The successful PDPA uprising resulted in the creation of a socialist Afghan government that was closely aligned with the Soviet Union, with Nur Muhammad Taraki serving as the PDPA's General Secretary of the Revolutionary Council. Saur or Sowr is the Dari-language name for the second month of the Solar Hijri calendar, during which the events took place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kabul (1992–1996)</span> Series of intermittent battles during the Afghan Civil War

The Battle of Kabul was a series of intermittent battles and sieges over the city of Kabul during the period of 1992–1996.

The following lists events that happened during 1990 in Afghanistan.

The following lists events that happened during 1994 in Afghanistan.

Afghan <i>mujahideen</i> Islamist resistance groups

The Afghan mujahideen were Islamist militant groups that fought against the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and the Soviet Union during the Soviet–Afghan War and the subsequent First Afghan Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sayed Mohammad Gulabzoy</span> Afghan politician

Major General Sayed Muhammad Gulabzoi is an Afghan politician. An ethnic Pashtun from the Zadran tribe, Gulabzoi was born in Paktia Province. An Air Force mechanic by training, he studied at the Air Force college. As an air force officer, he supported Daoud Khan's 1973 coup d'état which overthrew King Zahir Shah, for which he was rewarded with the position of Aide to the Air Force Commander. In 1976, he went to the Soviet Union to study radar technology.

Brigadier General Mohammed Zafar Khan is a commander of the Afghan National Army stationed in Uruzgan, Afghanistan. He was appointed for the post of commander of the 4th Brigade, 205th Corps on 11 September 2010.

Several coup d'etats or similar events have occurred in Afghanistan since its modern foundation in 1919.

References

  1. ↑ Coll, Steve (28 November 2012). "In Afghanistan, Dinner and Then a Coup". The New Yorker– via www.newyorker.com.
  2. 1 2 Coll, Steve (2004). Ghost wars : the secret history of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet invasion to September 10, 2001. New York: Penguin Press. ISBN   1-59420-007-6. OCLC   52814066.
  3. ↑ FINEMAN, MARK (7 March 1990). "Afghanistan Army Units Attempt Coup : Asia: President Najibullah declares rebellion was crushed by loyal forces. Troops hunt for hard-line defense minister believed to have sparked the battle" – via LA Times.
  4. ↑ "Afghan guerrillas profit from failed coup".
  5. ↑ The Afghanistan Wars: Second Edition by William Maley
  6. ↑ "Archives". Los Angeles Times . 7 March 1990.
  7. ↑ Fleiss, Alex (2022-04-05). "What happened in the battle of Jalalabad?". Rebellion Research. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  8. 1 2 "Afghan Leader Says Plotters Have Fled". The New York Times. March 8, 1990.
  9. 1 2 John F. Burns (May 10, 1990). "Kabul Journal; In Power Still, Afghan Can Thank His 4-Star Aide". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ "Afghanistan - Security Services in Communist Afghanistan (1978-1992). AGSA, KAM, KhAD and WAD". Refworld. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  11. ↑ G12039017 . Retrieved 2024-03-29– via www.youtube.com.
  12. ↑ "Afghan Leader Najib Rebounds Solidly After Coup Attempt". Christian Science Monitor. 15 March 1990.
  13. ↑ "FAILED KABUL COUP CHANGES OPINIONS". The New York Times. 21 March 1990.
  14. ↑ "Civil war in Afghanistan (1989?1992)". Archived from the original on 2018-02-01. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.