KHAD

KHAD is presented as Afghanistan’s KGB-like security and police force, distinct from the Afghan Government Army. That distinction shapes the account of the war: resistance fighters’ deepest hatred was directed at KHAD and the tortures associated with its leadership, while many regarded opposing Afghan soldiers as kin caught in a struggle to survive.

Identity and Role

The narrative describes KHAD as the Afghan counterpart to the KGB and identifies Najibullah as its head for years before he seized power and appointed himself ruler of the country. It associates his leadership with responsibility for numerous acts of torture, making the agency a central object of the resistance’s hostility.

Place in the Conflict

The account sets KHAD apart from Afghan regulars serving on the Russian side. Many soldiers were conscripts, and resistance fighters could understand them as kinsmen doing what survival required rather than as enemies to be hated without distinction. Some Afghan regulars and officers also secretly passed information about Russian troop movements and bombardments to the resistance; the narrator states that this assistance was essential to the war effort.

Significance

This contrast complicates any simple division between Afghan resistance fighters and their Afghan opponents. The force most associated with terror is KHAD, whereas the army’s ranks included reluctant fighters and covert helpers. By distinguishing an instrument of repression from conscripted compatriots, the account explains why the resistance’s anger could be intense without extending equally to every Afghan fighting on the opposing side.