ABSTRACT
At the end of July, the inevitable showdown between Amin and Taraki finally took place, Amin openly accusing Taraki of responsibility for the regime’s failures. Taraki countered by accusing Amin of nepotism, but could not prevent a reshuffle of portfolios, with Amin taking that of Defence from Watanjar. Taraki himself was isolated from the outside world, and all interviews with journalists and others were taken by Amin. The KGB Residency in Kabul now began to conclude that drastic action was needed and on 1 September gave its formal advice to Moscow. 1 The regime, it reported, was losing its authority and people were becoming increasingly anti-Soviet. Moscow’s advice that the regime should work to give itself a broad social basis had been almost totally ignored and it was relying solely on military force and punitive measures to hold on to power. The man responsible for this policy was Amin and a way should be found to remove him from the scene. Political prisoners should then be released and Taraki persuaded to establish a broad coalition government. Babrak Karmal should be brought back into the frame. This advice was accepted and when on 9 September Taraki passed through Moscow on his way back from a non-aligned conference in Havana, Brezhnev gave him what was in essence an instruction to get rid of Amin.2 Less certainly, Karmal may have been produced and an agreement reached between him and Taraki on the formation of a more broadly based government.3
