Incnis Mrsi (talk | contribs) I do not know sources which claim that ALL Amin’s guards were killed. a Cold War-era tale about bloodsucking Soviet monsters? |
Darkness Shines (talk | contribs) Reverted good faith edits by Incnis Mrsi (talk): Addition of unsourced content, removed per WP:V Als ochanges to sourced content with no valid reason given. (TW) |
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| combatant1 = {{flag|Soviet Union}} |
| combatant1 = {{flag|Soviet Union}} |
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| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|NF 1978 - 1980.jpg}} [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan]] |
| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|NF 1978 - 1980.jpg}} [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan]] |
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| combatant3 = |
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| commander1 = {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} [[Captain (land)|Capt.]] [[Y. |
| commander1 = {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} [[Captain (land)|Capt.]] [[Y.Drozdov]]<br>{{flagicon|Soviet Union}} [[Colonel|Col.]] [[Grigoriy Boyarinov]]{{KIA}}<br> {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} [[Viktor Fyodorovich Karpukhin]] |
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| commander2 = {{flagicon image|NF 1978 - 1980.jpg}} [[Hafizullah Amin]]{{KIA}} |
| commander2 = {{flagicon image|NF 1978 - 1980.jpg}} [[Hafizullah Amin]]{{KIA}} |
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| commander3 = |
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| units1 = [[Alpha Group]]<br>[[Vympel Group]]<br>Zenith Group<br>Muslim Battalion<br>[[Russian Airborne Troops|VDV Air Troops]] |
| units1 = [[Alpha Group]]<br>[[Vympel Group]]<br>Zenith Group<br>Muslim Battalion<br>[[Russian Airborne Troops|VDV Air Troops]] |
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| units2 = [[Afghan National Army|Army National Guards]]<br>[[Presidential Guard]] |
| units2 = [[Afghan National Army|Army National Guards]]<br>[[Presidential Guard]] |
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| units3 = |
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| strength1 = 660| strength2 = 2200<ref name=Tomsen /> |
| strength1 = 660| strength2 = 2200<ref name=Tomsen /> |
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| strength3 = |
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| casualties1 = 100 killed<ref name=Tomsen>{{cite book|last=Tomsen|first=Peter|title=Wars of Afghanistan|year=2011|publisher=PublicAffairs|isbn=978-1586487638|edition=1st|page=174|date=9|month=June}}</ref> |
| casualties1 = 100 killed<ref name=Tomsen>{{cite book|last=Tomsen|first=Peter|title=Wars of Afghanistan|year=2011|publisher=PublicAffairs|isbn=978-1586487638|edition=1st|page=174|date=9|month=June}}</ref> |
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| casualties2 = |
| casualties2 = Amin and all his guards | casualties3 = |
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| notes = |
| notes = |
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| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Soviet war in Afghanistan}} |
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Soviet war in Afghanistan}} |
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}} |
}} |
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'''Operation Storm-333''' (Шторм-333, ''Shtorm-333'') was the codename of an operation on 27 |
'''Operation Storm-333''' (Шторм-333, ''Shtorm-333'') was the codename of an operation on 27 December 1979 in which Soviet Special Forces stormed the [[Tajbeg Palace]] in [[Afghanistan]] and killed Afghan President [[Hafizullah Amin]] and his 200 personal guards. His eleven-year-old son died due to shrapnel wounds.<ref>http://specialops.yolasite.com/operation-storm-333.php</ref> He was replaced by [[Babrak Karmal]]. |
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Several other government buildings were seized during the operation, including the [[Ministry of Interior]] building, the Internal Security ([[KHAD]]) building, and the General Staff building ([[Darul Aman Palace]]). [[Alpha Group]] [[veteran]]s call this operation one of the most successful in the group's history. |
Several other government buildings were seized during the operation, including the [[Ministry of Interior]] building, the Internal Security ([[KHAD]]) building, and the General Staff building ([[Darul Aman Palace]]). [[Alpha Group]] [[veteran]]s call this operation one of the most successful in the group's history. |
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==Background== |
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[[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan]] was initially led by [[Nur Muhammad Taraki]], who was pro-Soviet, and Afghan–Soviet relations were friendly. In September 1979 Taraki was deposed by Hafizullah Amin due to intra-[[People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan|party]] strife. After deposition and suspicious death of Taraki (apparent [[assassination]] by Amin's followers) the Soviet leadership started to conspire to remove Amin from power and replace him by a more loyal politician. |
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==Soviet forces== |
==Soviet forces== |
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Taking part in the operation were 24 |
Taking part in the operation were 24 men from the Гром (''Grom'' - "Thunder") unit of Alpha Group, [[GRU]], and 30 operators from a special [[KGB]] group Зенит (''Zenit'' - "Zenith"). There were also 520 men from the 154th Separate [[Spetsnaz]] Detachment of the [[USSR]] Ministry of Defence known as the "[[Muslim]] [[Battalion]]" because it consisted exclusively of soldiers from the southern republics of the USSR, and 87 troops of a [[Company (military unit)|company]] of 345 Guards [[Russian Airborne Troops|Airborne Regiment]].<ref>{{ru icon}} [http://vpk-news.ru/articles/425 Article on Storm-333 at VPK-news.ru]</ref> These support troops were not issued armor or helmets, but one of them recalls that a magazine tucked inside his clothes protected him from an [[Submachine gun|SMG]] bullet. The GRU and KGB units were clad in bulletproof vests and helmets; this proved crucial, because Amin's personal guards were armed only with submachine guns, which were not able to penetrate the Soviet vests. |
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==Soviet losses== |
==Soviet losses== |
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According to [[Mitrokhin Archive]], "over a hundred of the KGB troops were killed before the palace was taken and Amin gunned down,"<ref>The Sword and the Shield, Basic Books 1999, ISBN 0-465-00310-9, pp |
According to [[Mitrokhin Archive]], "over a hundred of the KGB troops were killed before the palace was taken and Amin gunned down,"<ref>The Sword and the Shield, Basic Books 1999, ISBN 0-465-00310-9, pp 390-391</ref> although co-writer [[Christopher Andrew (historian)|Christopher Andrew]] does concede that the higher figure may have consisted of all "casualties" and not just deaths.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} However, it is stated in publication "The KGB in Afghanistan" by [[Vasili Mitrokhin]].<ref>Cold War International History Project, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Working paper №40</ref> |
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⚫ | "Over 700 |
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⚫ | "Over 700 members of the KGB from the Centre and the Periphery were dropped into Kabul to take part in Operation Agat. The troops were dressed in Afghan army uniforms. ... Over 100 of the KGB were killed in the attack on the palace. Such large losses forced Andropov to question the expediency of hanging portraits in mourning frames of heroes killed whilst carrying out their noble international mission in the halls and corridors as this would attract unnecessary attention". |
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== Aftermath == |
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[[Babrak Karmal]] from the [[Parcham]] fraction, hostile to Amin, was installed as the new head of state. Internal support of the new regime was weak, if any, and the Soviets committed more troops to keep its [[leftist]] allies in power, effectively making Karmal's DRA a [[puppet state]]. |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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{{reflist| |
{{reflist|2}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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* Braithwaite, Rodric, "Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan |
* Braithwaite, Rodric, "Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan 1979-89", Profile Books, 2011. ISBN 978-1-84668-062-5. |
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* {{cite web |url=http://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/WP40-english.pdf |title= The KGB in Afghanistan |accessdate=2011-12-16 |last=Mitrokhin |first= Vasiliy|coauthors= |date= July 2002|work= |publisher=[[Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars]]}} |
* {{cite web |url=http://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/WP40-english.pdf |title= The KGB in Afghanistan |accessdate=2011-12-16 |last=Mitrokhin |first= Vasiliy|coauthors= |date= July 2002|work= |publisher=[[Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars]]}} |
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* {{cite web |url=http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/WP51_Web_Final.pdf |title= Inside the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the Seizure of Kabul, December 1979 |accessdate=2007-09-25 |last=Lyakhovskiy |first= Aleksandr|coauthors= |date= January 2007|work= |publisher=[[Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars]]}} |
* {{cite web |url=http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/WP51_Web_Final.pdf |title= Inside the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the Seizure of Kabul, December 1979 |accessdate=2007-09-25 |last=Lyakhovskiy |first= Aleksandr|coauthors= |date= January 2007|work= |publisher=[[Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars]]}} |
Revision as of 19:23, 30 June 2013
Operation Storm-333 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of The Soviet war in Afghanistan | |||||||
The Tajbeg Palace in 1987. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Soviet Union | Democratic Republic of Afghanistan | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Capt. Y.Drozdov Col. Grigoriy Boyarinov † Viktor Fyodorovich Karpukhin | Hafizullah Amin † | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Alpha Group Vympel Group Zenith Group Muslim Battalion VDV Air Troops |
Army National Guards Presidential Guard | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
660 | 2200[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
100 killed[1] | Amin and all his guards |
Operation Storm-333 (Шторм-333, Shtorm-333) was the codename of an operation on 27 December 1979 in which Soviet Special Forces stormed the Tajbeg Palace in Afghanistan and killed Afghan President Hafizullah Amin and his 200 personal guards. His eleven-year-old son died due to shrapnel wounds.[2] He was replaced by Babrak Karmal.
Several other government buildings were seized during the operation, including the Ministry of Interior building, the Internal Security (KHAD) building, and the General Staff building (Darul Aman Palace). Alpha Group veterans call this operation one of the most successful in the group's history.
Soviet forces
Taking part in the operation were 24 men from the Гром (Grom - "Thunder") unit of Alpha Group, GRU, and 30 operators from a special KGB group Зенит (Zenit - "Zenith"). There were also 520 men from the 154th Separate Spetsnaz Detachment of the USSR Ministry of Defence known as the "Muslim Battalion" because it consisted exclusively of soldiers from the southern republics of the USSR, and 87 troops of a company of 345 Guards Airborne Regiment.[3] These support troops were not issued armor or helmets, but one of them recalls that a magazine tucked inside his clothes protected him from an SMG bullet. The GRU and KGB units were clad in bulletproof vests and helmets; this proved crucial, because Amin's personal guards were armed only with submachine guns, which were not able to penetrate the Soviet vests.
Soviet losses
According to Mitrokhin Archive, "over a hundred of the KGB troops were killed before the palace was taken and Amin gunned down,"[4] although co-writer Christopher Andrew does concede that the higher figure may have consisted of all "casualties" and not just deaths.[citation needed] However, it is stated in publication "The KGB in Afghanistan" by Vasili Mitrokhin.[5]
"Over 700 members of the KGB from the Centre and the Periphery were dropped into Kabul to take part in Operation Agat. The troops were dressed in Afghan army uniforms. ... Over 100 of the KGB were killed in the attack on the palace. Such large losses forced Andropov to question the expediency of hanging portraits in mourning frames of heroes killed whilst carrying out their noble international mission in the halls and corridors as this would attract unnecessary attention".
Notes
- ^ a b Tomsen, Peter (9). Wars of Afghanistan (1st ed.). PublicAffairs. p. 174. ISBN 978-1586487638.
{{cite book}}
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ignored (help) - ^ http://specialops.yolasite.com/operation-storm-333.php
- ^ Template:Ru icon Article on Storm-333 at VPK-news.ru
- ^ The Sword and the Shield, Basic Books 1999, ISBN 0-465-00310-9, pp 390-391
- ^ Cold War International History Project, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Working paper №40
References
- Braithwaite, Rodric, "Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan 1979-89", Profile Books, 2011. ISBN 978-1-84668-062-5.
- Mitrokhin, Vasiliy (July 2002). "The KGB in Afghanistan" (PDF). Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - Lyakhovskiy, Aleksandr (January 2007). "Inside the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the Seizure of Kabul, December 1979" (PDF). Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - Grau, Lester. "The Takedown of Kabul: An Effective Coup de Main". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
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