The assault on the palace of Hafizullah Amin by the special forces of the Ministry of Defense and the KGB of the USSR
In September 1979, a coup d'etat took place in Afghanistan, as a result of which the pro-Western dictator Hafizullah Amin seized power in the country. The latter brutally eliminated almost all opposition. In addition, on the orders of Amin, the deposed head of state Mohammad Taraki, who had previously signed the Treaty of Friendship with the USSR, was killed.
Naturally, the situation when the West could take full control over border Afghanistan with all the ensuing consequences did not suit the leadership of the USSR in any way. In this regard, already in October of the same year, the KGB and the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union began to develop operations to overthrow Amin and seize strategic facilities in Kabul, called "Baikal-79" and "Storm-333", respectively.
The dictator himself settled in the Taj Beck Palace, which was turned into a real fortress. In connection with numerous assassination attempts, the new ruler of Afghanistan was seriously concerned about his safety. As a result, all the approaches to the building, to which only one road led, were mined, the walls were fortified, machine-gun nests were placed around the perimeter, and dug into the ground in some directions Tanks. In total, the palace was guarded by about two thousand people.
Getting to the residence was almost impossible. However, in December 1979, the soldiers of the 154th special forces detachment of the GRU of the General Staff of the USSR, who had previously arrived in Afghanistan at the request of the same Amin and joined the Afghan troops - the “Muslim battalion”, arrived at the palace to strengthen the protection of the dictator.
In addition, units of the 345th separate airborne regiment, which were in Afghanistan under the guise of specialists responsible for the safety of flights of the Soviet transport, participated in the operation to eliminate the pro-Western usurper. aviation, as well as several special groups of the KGB, who were in the country for a long time, working in the USSR embassy and military advisers.
The assault on the Taj Beck began on December 27 with communications cut off and blocking the nearest Afghan army garrisons. As a result, the palace was completely isolated.
At the same time, the Soviet military failed to quietly sneak into the dictator's residence. Guards at checkpoints spotted their movement and opened fire.
As a result, to suppress the firing points and prevent the transfer of reinforcements, the GRU special forces began to use anti-aircraft Shilka and grenade launchers against the enemy.
At the same time, groups of KGB fighters, breaking into the territory of the residence on infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, entered into battle with Amin's personal guards, who, despite the fierce resistance of his fighters, were eliminated.
In total, the operation lasted 40 minutes. About 1700 Afghan soldiers were taken prisoner, while almost all of the dictator's bodyguards did not surrender and were destroyed during the fighting.
The losses of the Soviet military and security forces amounted to 15 killed among the paratroopers and the "Muslim battalion", as well as 5 killed KGB officers.
Information