Never Repeat Our Mistake

Monday, Sep. 24, 2001
Major-General Alexander Lyakhovski, 55, currently with the Russian Defense Ministry, served in Afghanistan from 1987 to 1989 as a senior aid to General Valentin Varennikov, the top Soviet military coordinator there. Author of three books on the Soviet war in Afghanistan, Lyakhovski talked with TIME's Yuri Zarakhovich about the pitfalls of warfare in that country:

TIME: What can a military action achieve in Afghanistan?
LYAKHOVSKI: I understand President Bush's predicament: he must show the American people that he defends his country. But if the objectives are destroying Osama bin Laden and wiping out terrorists' bases, no air operation will work. The bases are hidden in bunkers, tunnels, ten to fifteen meters deep, some designed by Iranian and German military engineers, or in mountain caves. You can't hope for a blind direct hit, when you don't know where your target is. Bombs and missiles, however smart, will only crush hills into dust, and kill a lot of innocent people should they fall on cities, but won't serve any other purpose. Nor will it work in terms of intimidation: Afghans are not people to be intimidated. We learned that through bitter experience.

TIME: What are the other options?
LYAKHOVSKI: A ground operation. But it must be thoroughly prepared in terms of intelligence gathering, logistics and engineering support. All this takes long, painstaking and meticulous planning.

TIME: What are the specifics of a ground operation in Afghanistan?
LYAKHOVSKI: Fighting in the mountains rules out any use of wheels and armor. The landing force will have to move on foot and fight the opposition with the same light weapons the Taliban have. But they have been fighting for some 30 years now. This generation has grown up with rifles in hand. They are adept at ambushes. They know the terrain by heart. The landing force will not be able to protect its rear. All communication and supply lines will be vulnerable to the enemy. Unless you mount fortified checkpoints along your communication and supply lines, everything will be blown up, destroyed or robbed.

TIME: Is the idea of landing task forces by choppers and picking them up once the mission is completed feasible?
LYAKHOVSKI: Such operations require air bases within the range, and pilots who have been specially trained to fly in the mountains and rarefied mountain air. Also, the Taliban have air defenses: surface-to-air missiles, left over by the Soviets, and stingers, supplied by the Americans.

The Afghans were second to none at small war tactics ever since they fought the Brits in the 19th century, and then they honed that technique to perfection fighting us. They also learned the use of more sophisticated weapons. But even before the Brits came, they had always been the nation of warriors and brigands. Each tribe has an army of its own to protect its land from neighbors. Historically, the only available trade routes to India went through the Hindu-Kush mountain passes. The Pashtuns always lived by robbing caravans in those passes; they did not live by agriculture. They are born warriors. When the Soviet Army went in, some Generals expected the Afghans to disperse at the very sight of our might. It did not happen. Never repeat our mistake, never underestimate them. Permanent warfare on the tactical scale is their way of life.

TIME: Are there any forces that could side with the U.S.?
LYAKHOVSKI: On the face of it, the Americans can't find allies there: any foreign invasion, particularly that of infidels, makes the Afghans forget their feuds, close the ranks, and fight with a vengeance. However, the Americans did an excellent job of having launched the Taliban movement. It was a brilliant idea of the U.S. and Pakistani secret services to pitch it against us. Except, it went out of control and became a loose cannon, once the fanatics took over. But the Afghans have never been fanatical. Nor do I think that they're so happy under the yoke of this fanatical minority that has brought back the paranja, and banned television.

The U.S. and Pakistani special services might re-activate some of the moderate Muslims they used to work with. Also, the peopl es of the North will definitely side with the Americans against the Taliban. Should the U.S. launch an anti-Taliban operation employing Afghan tribes, it would be way more effective. Still, the most effective weapon in Afghanistan is money. We had a saying when I was there: "You can't conquer this country, you can only buy it. But Russia is not the richest country in the world," we said. "There are some that are much richer." And we know who the richest country in the world is.