Afghanistan's Struggle for National Liberation

Abstract Afghan resistance to Russian occupation is generally associated with the tribes bordering Pakistan who are said to be motivated primarily by religious fanaticism. Little noticed by the world press is the much stiffer - because more efficient - resistance in the Northern half of Afghanistan. Here the nationalists are led by secularised intellectuals, often with independent leftist leanings, and patriotic officers who deserted from the regime's army. Principal force of the national struggle for liberation is not the foreign based Islamic Party, which is largely a propaganda stunt, but SAMA ("Afghan People's Liberation Organisation"), which has its headquarters in the interior of the country. While some SAMA members have Maoist roots, the movement as such is by no means Peking-inspired, as alleged by the pro-Moscow party of Babrak Karmal. SAMA's strength and weakness lie in its fiercely nationalistic rejection of any outside support; it relies solely on arms captured from the foreign invaders. The SAMA founder, Majid Kalakani, was executed in Kabul in June 1980. Since then, he has grown into a legendary national hero and become the symbol of martyrdom for the liberation front. Apart from introducing urban guerilla warfare his greatest contribution was the establishment of a United National Front combining a wide range of democratic parties, a insurmountable obstacle for the Kremlin in its attempt to consolidate the Russian hold on Afghanistan.