Karmal regime calls for Soviet military aid: Amin executed

WASHINGTON, Dec 28: The day-old government of Afghanistan has requested military and other aid from the Soviet Union and the request has been granted, TASS reported today.

Russian troops patrolling Kabul

Tarahki, who had strong Soviet backing. The new regime imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the capital and appealed to Ulema to end their year-long insurrection and join the new regime in rebuilding the war-torn country. Western analysts in Moscow indicated that the coup was a Soviet-backed effort to defuse the (Continued on page 9 col 4)

The Soviet news agency, in a dispatch from Kabul, said the government of Babrak Karmal, which took power last night in a Sovietbacked coup, "approached the U.S.S.R. with the insistent request to give urgent political, moral, and economic aid, including military aid. "The government of the Soviet Union has met the request of the Afghan side." Soviet Communist Party leader Hafizullah Amin Leonid Brezhnev sent a telegram of congratulations to Karmal, Vice-President and also named TASS reported. Diplomatic sources in New other members of the Council, inDelhi said Soviet troops in combat cluding a number of former cabigear were seen patrolling the net Ministers under the late President Nur-Mohammed Tarahki, streets of Kabul. Hafizuilah Amin, the overthrown killed in a coup staged by Amin President of Afghanistan, yester- last Sept 14. day, was executed after a revolu- Kabul Radio also named as tionary court sentenced him to members of the Council Brig Gen death "for crimes against the Af- Abdul Qader and Lieut-Col Moghan people." according to Radio hammad Aslam Watanyar, both former cabinet Ministers under Kabul. Amin family was also re- Tarahki, Nur Ahmad Nur, a former ambassador to the United portedly killed. Diplomatic sources in New States, and Lieut-Col Gol Agha. Delhi said about 5,000 Soviet com- It said other members would be bat troops had been airlifted into named later. Mr. Amin came to power on Kabul in the last 48 hours. They said tile streets of Kabul Sept 14 after overthrowing forwere calm but tense with no hea- mer President Nur-Mohammad vy fighting since 11.00 p.m. local time (0330 GMT) last night. The broadcast did not describe the method of Amin's execution but said a revolutionary tribunal staged a quick trial and pronounced the death sentence. Radio Kabul, in announcing Amin's death, described Karmal as President of the Revolutionary Council the first official acknowledgement he was the Muslim nation's new No. 1 man. The broadcast reporting the execution was heard at 22.10 GMT jesffcrday and said Karmal had also been named Secretary-General of the central committee of the ruling People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. It named Asadollah Sarwari as

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(Continued from pag \) Islamic nationalist rebellion. "The Soviet can rely on this guy Karmal," said a Western diplomat in Moscow, whose speciality is Asian politics. Afghanistan cut oft communications with the outside world a day after the coup. Telephone and telev lines were down and the Kabul airport was closed to all international traffic, Indian Airlines repotted in New Delhi. Scheduled flights between New Delhi aud Afghanistan were cancelled today. The Afghan Revolutionary Council, meanwhile, has announced its support for Mr. Karmal in a statement condemning "the bloody oppression of Amin", In a communique broadcast by Radio Kabul, the Council announced its "determination" to help restore freedom, find work for the unemployed and land for the farmer. In its statement, the Revolutionary Council called on Afghanistan's armed forces to remain" vigilant, disciplined and united" to prevent' the enemies of freedom, independence and territorial integrity from infiltrating (its) ranks.". The Council added that "Amin's criminals" would be brought to trial. "The principles of the family and private property will be guaranteed," the statement added. The Kabul broadcasts were clearly conciliatory to the landlocked nation^ restive-Muslim population, which had takeai up arms against the Marxist regimes of Amin and his predecessor, the late Nur Mohammad Tarahki, who swung the country away from the West after a coup in April 1978. But the takeover, which reportedly came after some felEee-t. fighting outside the -Presidential l>alace appeared to sigtnal>"vhift in tactics against the Muslim guerillas. Sources noted that TASS vas quick to carry the full text of Karmal's first public address after taking power. In that address, Karmal, who was believed to have been living in an Eastern European nation, called for national reconciliation and release of political prisoners. Karmal said his foreign policy would be "based on non-alignment" He added that Kabul would "line up with peoples fighting against imperialism and Zionism". The new Government, he said, would try to "resolve military problems through political channels". "All democratic freedoms, particularly concerning political parties, mass organisations, freedom of the Press and freedom of Assembly, will be guaranteed" he said. , , Afghanistan wiU respect ' a l l ; accords and treaties with tlie ^ other countries of the world, and particularly with the 'United Nations", Mr Karmal added." The country's new leader aas juotsd by TASS as saying, he had iestroyed "the bloody dynasty" of \min. "The instrument of torture of imin and his stooges, savage butchers, usurpers and murderers of tens of thousands of our compatriots lias been broken," TASS quoted, him as saying. Many of the new Revolutionary Council members named yesterday were former followers of President Tarahki, and Moscow radio yesterday quoted Karmal as saying the Afghan people remained loyal to the achievements of Tarahki's April 1978 revolution. Reports from the Afghan capital were scarce and undetailed, but it appeared there was street fighting in several areas of Kabul, including around the Presidential Palace. U.S. government sources in Washington said, some of the Soviet trcops stationed in Afghanistan intervened in the fighting. The sources said the Soviet Union e n g i n e e r e d the overthrow of Amin as President of Afghanistan because the Kremlin's relations with him had become increasingly strained. The Russians felt that Karmal would be more favourable to Soviet policy in the landlocked country, the sources said. In support of their theory the sources pointed to the speed with which the official Soviet news agency TASS confirmed Amin's fall from power by issuing the full text of Karmal's first communique as the new strongman. Karmal's unexplained return to Afghanistan was also cited as an indication he received ample outside aid. U.S. State Department experts said Karmal had been living in Czechoslovakia, or East Germany following his dismissal as Afghanistan's Ambassador to Prague in 1978. His return to Kabul was never publicly announced and, giver. the fact he was in disfavour with Amin, it seems likely he returned only recently on a Soviet transport jet, the U.S. sources said. TTPI'Reuter/AFP.