1990 Afghan coup d'état attempt

1990 Afghan coup d'état attempt. The 1990 Afghan coup d'état attempt was a failed military insurrection against the government of President Mohammad Najibullah. Orchestrated by the powerful Defense Minister Shahnawaz Tanai in alliance with the mujahideen commander Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the coup sought to topple the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan regime in Kabul. The intense fighting, primarily in the capital, lasted less than two days before loyalist forces crushed the rebellion, but it significantly destabilized the already fragile Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.

Background

The coup attempt occurred during a period of extreme crisis for the Kabul government following the complete withdrawal of Soviet troops in February 1989. President Mohammad Najibullah's regime, reliant on continued Moscow aid, faced a relentless offensive from the Peshawar-based mujahideen factions. Internal divisions within the ruling People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan were profound, primarily between the Khalq and Parcham factions. Shahnawaz Tanai, a prominent Khalq hardliner and Defense Minister, was deeply opposed to Najibullah's reconciliation policies and his reliance on the KHAD chief Ghulam Farouq Yaqubi. Tanai secretly established contact with the fundamentalist mujahideen leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar of Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin, facilitated by the Pakistani ISI, aiming to forge an unlikely alliance against their common enemy in Kabul.

The coup attempt

The coup was launched in the early hours of 6 March 1990. Key rebel units, including the 53rd Infantry Division from Rishkor and elements of the Afghan Air Force, moved on the capital. Tanai's forces bombarded the Presidential Palace, the Interior Ministry, and the headquarters of KHAD. Simultaneously, Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin militias attacked from the outskirts of Kabul. However, the government had been alerted to the conspiracy. Loyalist troops from the Sarandoy, commanded by Interior Minister Sayid Muhammad Gulabzoi, along with the presidential guard and units led by Mohammad Aslam Watanjar, mounted a fierce defense. Soviet military advisors still present in the country provided crucial tactical and intelligence support to Najibullah's forces. After heavy street fighting around key installations like the Bala Hissar fortress, the coup collapsed by 7 March.

Aftermath and consequences

The failed coup had immediate and far-reaching consequences. Shahnawaz Tanai fled by helicopter to Pakistan, where he was publicly welcomed by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. In Kabul, President Mohammad Najibullah initiated a severe purge within the Afghan National Army and the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, executing numerous alleged conspirators and further weakening the Khalq faction. The event exposed the deep fragility of the state and the shocking collaboration between a senior PDPA minister and a major mujahideen faction. Internationally, it demonstrated the continued volatility of Afghanistan after the Soviet–Afghan War. Although Najibullah survived, the regime's legitimacy was irreparably damaged, foreshadowing its eventual collapse following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the cutoff of aid in 1992.

Category:1990 in Afghanistan Category:Cold War conflicts Category:Coups d'état in Afghanistan Category:History of Kabul