Mohammad Aslam Watanjar (Pashto: محمداسلم وطنجار, 1946 – November 2000) 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.
Colonel general Aslam Watanjar | |
|---|---|
 Aslam Watanjar in the 1980s | |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 6 March 1990 – April 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Shahnawaz Tanai |
| Succeeded by | Ahmad Shah Massoud |
| In office April – 28 July 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Abdul Qadir |
| Succeeded by | Hafizullah Amin |
| Minister of Internal Affairs | |
| In office 15 November 1988[1] – 6 March 1990 | |
| Preceded by | Sayed Mohammad Gulabzoy |
| Succeeded by | Raz Muhammad Paktin |
| In office 28 July 1979[2] – 19 September 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Sherjan Mazdoryar |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| In office 11 July 1978[3] – 1 April 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Nur Ahmad Nur |
| Succeeded by | Sherjan Mazoryar |
| Minister of Communications | |
| In office 10 January 1980 – 1988 | |
| Preceded by | Mohammad Zarif |
| Succeeded by | Unknown |
| In office 30 April 1978 – July 1978 | |
| Preceded by | Abdul Karim Attayee |
| Succeeded by | Sayed Mohammad Gulabzoy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1946 Paktia Province, Kingdom of Afghanistan |
| Died | 24 November 2000 (aged 53–54) Odesa, Ukraine |
| Political party | People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan |
| Profession | Military officer Politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Afghanistan(1967–1973)  Republic of Afghanistan(1973–1978)  Democratic Republic of Afghanistan(1978–1992) |
| Branch/service | _%E2%80%93_Army.svg){kind=small} Afghan Army |
| Years of service | 1967–1992 |
| Rank | .svg){kind=small} Colonel General |
| Commands | 4th Tank Brigade |
| Battles/wars | |
Early life
editAn ethnic Pashtun, Aslam Watanjar was born in 1946, in Zurmula, in Afghanistan's Paktia Province. He trained as a tank commander in the Soviet Union following his graduation from the Military Academy in Kabul in 1967, being part of the Afghan Army’s 4th Tank Brigade.
Saur Revolution
editWatanjar's role in the communist coup of 1978 was important. Instructed by Hafizullah Amin, he initiated the march of tank forces from the 4th and 15th Tank Brigades near Pul-e-Charkhi against the Republican government of Daoud Khan.
Colonel Aslam Watanjar was the Army commander on the ground during the coup, and his troops gained control of Kabul. Colonel Abdul Qadir, the leader of the Air Force squadrons, also launched a major attack on the Arg Presidential Palace, in the course of which Mohammed Daoud Khan was killed. Watanjar was present when corpses of the president and his family were buried in a pit.[4]
Colonel Watanjar was also in charge of the announcement over Radio Kabul, in the Pashtu language, that a Revolutionary Council of the Armed Forces had been established, with Colonel Abdul Qadir at its head. The council's initial statement of principles, issued late in the evening of April 27, was a noncommittal affirmation of Islamic, democratic, and non-aligned ideals.
He was in charge of the operation until Amin took over from him in the evening. On April 30 the RC issued the first of a series of fateful decrees. The decree formally abolished the military's revolutionary council.
Role in the Khalq and Parcham governments
editFollowing the coup, Watanjar was appointed deputy prime minister[5] and minister of communications. Later he served successively as minister of the interior, of defense, and again of the interior until he joined others in a plot against Amin.
The Herat uprising also set off a new round in the Afghan regime's internal power struggle. To assuage charges of weak performance in the military leadership, Taraki finally granted Watanjar the position of Minister of Defense.
Watanjar's move to take over the Defense Ministry was a demonstrable exploitation of Amin's vulnerability in the aftermath of the failings of the army. However, by July 1979, Amin took over the defense portfolio, replacing him on the grounds that he was a Taraki-sympathizer.
Aslam Watanjar joined forces with Sarwari, Gulabzoy and others Khalqis in a plot against then Prime Minister Hafizullah Amin.
Except for Sarwari, who was from the province of Ghazni, the others were from Paktia. They had influence with the army, which was officered by a considerable number of persons from Paktia.
Until their break with Amin, Sarwari was head of the Intelligence Department (AGSA), while the others were cabinet ministers. At first close friends of Amin, they later turned against him, siding with President Nur Mohammad Taraki in opposition to Amin.
When Amin overcame them, they took refuge in the Soviet embassy along with Sarwari and Gulabzoy.
The presence in Soviet Red Army of Sarwari, Watanjar, and Gulabzoy might have influenced the officers not to respond to the invasion. Along with them, he served as a guide for the Soviets.
After the invasion he was promoted to membership in the central committee and the Revolutionary Council and was appointed Minister of Communications. In June 1981 he was added to the Politburo.
Later he served successively as Minister of Defense and again of the Interior.
He also headed the official Afghan delegation to Baikonur, in his position of communications minister and member of its ruling Politburo.
On March 6, 1990, General Watanjar intercepted a tank battalion of Shahnawaz Tanai during Tanai's coup attempt, which eventually failed. Watanjar was awarded a four-star rank by President Najibullah and also made Secretary of Defense.[6]
After the fall of Kabul and the collapse of President Najibullah's government, he left the country.
Later life and death
editOn 24 November 2000, Watanjar died of cancer while in exile, in the Ukrainian city of Odesa. He was 54.
References
edit- ^ Bradsher, Harry (1999). Afghan Communism and Soviet Intervention. Oxford University Press. pp. 313, 342. ISBN 0195790170.
- ^ Male, Beverly (1982). Revolutionary Afghanistan: A Reappraisal. Croom Helm. p. 155. ISBN 0709917163.
- ^ Male, Beverly (1982). Revolutionary Afghanistan: A Reappraisal. Croom Helm. p. 111. ISBN 0709917163.
- ^ "An Afghan Secret Revealed Brings End of an Era". The New York Times. 1 February 2009.
- ^ Adamec, Ludwig W. (2012). Historical dictionary of Afghanistan (4th ed.). Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7815-0.
- ^ Burns, John F. (10 May 1990). "Kabul Journal; in Power Still, Afghan Can Thank His 4-Star Aide". The New York Times.