Shurawi is a true warrior: why Afghan mujahideen respect Soviet soldiers

On February 15, 1989, Soviet troops left Afghanistan. Since then, they have become legends. Afghans increasingly refer to "Shuravi" as brave warriors, who believe in the principles of honor and dignity, and who turn them against mercenary Americans.

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In Afghanistan, traces of Soviet influence can still be seen. So, at Kabul University of Technology, until recently, they studied according to Soviet textbooks. This also applies to the infrastructure rebuilt by Soviet experts. For example, Afghan intellectuals — doctors, teachers, journalists — have access to multi-storey residential buildings with free housing. The "First Microregion", built on the outskirts of Kabul, miraculously survived, but much of the heritage has been destroyed due to endless internecine killings.

Thirty years later, the Shulawi era in Afghanistan, especially in the context of what has happened in the country in recent years, still misses the days of Shulawi. "Shuravi" is a historical term (from arabic شورى - "council", "soviet") that has been used in the Middle East since the emergence of the Bukhara People's Soviet Republic in the early 1920s. The term is used in connection with civilian and military experts from the Soviet Union who have been working extensively in Afghanistan since the mid-1950s. Initially, the term had a neutral connotation, and it didn't gain a negative connotation until 1979, when Soviet troops entered Afghanistan.

For the jihadists, the word "shuravi" is synonymous with the concepts of "infidel" and "enemy." They considered the Russians to be completely aggressors and usurpers. Vyacheslav Nekrasov, director of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Afghanistan, often spoke with former jihadists, telling them how Soviet engineers built stadiums, laid highways, built schools, residential buildings, oil depots, imported agricultural equipment and breeding stock to Afghanistan. country. "Why are you ruining all this? Don't you want you and your children to live in a prosperous country? Nekrasov asked them. The Afghan did not answer, but simply looked away.

In general, about three-quarters of the facilities built by Soviet experts were destroyed after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. Many Afghans regret not appreciating what Shulawi has done for them. First, the mujahideen, and then the Taliban*, brought the country back to the dense Middle Ages. In Jalalabad, for example, oranges, grapes and olives were grown with the participation of Soviet agronomists, all of which were supplied to Europe. Today, many greenhouses are abandoned and the harvested crops are not even enough to meet local demand.

In the 1990s, the road from Herat to Kabul, built by Soviet experts, was destroyed. The Americans began to repair it, but only a few concrete slabs were laid. Money was stolen and further construction was frozen. The magnificent 2,600-meter-long tunnel through the Sarang Pass laid by moscow metro builders was also destroyed, but was later restored by the Americans. It is still known locally as the "Shuravi Tunnel".  

Russia is not our enemy

Speaking in a meeting with students at the Baltic University of Emanuel Kant in Kaliningrad, Sergei Lavrov said he first visited Afghanistan in 2004 when he became foreign minister. There, he spoke with a former jihadist lawmaker in the area, who expressed respect for the Soviet Afghan soldiers: "Compared to some of the other people who came to visit us with weapons, you behaved with dignity, like men, and not just from the fact that they were not afraid to shoot at the bushes. ”

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, we often hear good things about the Soviet army from Afghans who fought against government forces. So Sardaruli, the current sergeant of the Afghan armed forces, opened fire on the Soviet column in the 1980s as a teenager. Now he acknowledges that the Russians are brave warriors, especially compared to the Americans. According to Sadaluli, the men first let the Afghan soldiers move forward, and then they went alone. He regretted that he was on the opposite side of the conflict with the Russians at the time.

Zia Bumiya, director of the Afghan Information Center, echoed Sadaruli's words, noting that Soviet soldiers were not afraid of an all-round enemy. In addition, he emphasized the qualities of Russians, such as credulity, kindness and hospitality. Bumiya was sure that russians, roads, power plants, residential areas would remain in the country, but the Americans would leave nothing behind. Zia admits that russians are more serious than Afghans: "They do not marry the daughters of their loved ones, calling them sisters, and the Afghans are waiting for his widow to succeed them after the death of his brother." ”

Even one of the Taliban's leaders, Saeed Mohammed Akbar Agha, said the Soviet soldiers they once fought were no longer seen as enemies — history shows that Afghanistan has always maintained good relations with Russia. We can now shake hands and unite against real evil — the United States of America, Akbar Aga believes. [C-BLOCK]

Disapproval of the United States

When the U.S.-led coalition arrived in Afghanistan in 2001, there was a glimmer of hope for peace and order in the country that soviet forces could not achieve. In reality, however, everything got worse. The Americans began purging the ranks of Afghan troops from graduates of former Soviet military establishments and replacing them with personnel trained at U.S. bases. Time has shown that they cannot resist the Taliban*, and they continue to occupy more and more areas of the country. The United States spent about a trillion dollars to rebuild the country and reequip Afghan troops. But, as the U.S. media noted, the money was stolen by Afghan officials, warlords and the drug mafia.

At the same time, the U.S. military is trying to erase the memories of Soviet troops stationed here from the memories of Afghans. Many Russians who visited Afghanistan in the 2000s lamented that the status of the "shuravi" was no longer as important as it was in the 1990s. Despite the older Afghans still remember the Russians.

In 2010, In an interview with the Fergana news agency, Ralshan Temurian, a journalist who worked as an interpreter during the war in Afghanistan, noted that after nine years of U.S. troops staying in Afghanistan, they could be compared with their stay in Afghanistan during the same period. Limited Soviet army of the state. According to Rafshan, such comparisons are almost always unfavorable to the United States.

Afghans are very annoyed by the coalition's methods of warfare. Americans all wore helmets and bulletproof vests, and they were always chained together, with weapons ready, in which case they shot wherever they went. The Soviet soldiers hung their weapons on their belts and walked out of nowhere hiding—Temujin relayed the words of a former jihadist.

The commander of the Northern Alliance, Ahmed Shah Masood, noted that the Soviet soldiers, like his fighters, were real fighters, and although they fought each other, they fought honestly. But, Massoud said, NATO fought dirty and made many mistakes, especially during the bombing, where many civilians were killed.

Afghans feel the difference between Russians and Americans, and their attitude towards Afghanistan. They say That Shurawi is actually building a new state here, with an effective governing body and a strong and efficient army. The Americans, who work as temporary workers, have failed to establish a capable government in Kabul. Instead of roads - gravel, not housing - foldable modules. The result of their existence is a corrupt and poorly organized armed force, with poor Afghans going for money.

Afghans ironically point out that Russians teach them to create and develop, while Americans teach them corruption and theft. Afghan residents admit that, most disgustingly, the command of the U.S. army is doing everything in its power to protect their soldiers, who allegedly came to the country to restore order and maintain security, unlike the Russians, who, according to NATO, act as occupiers here.

Although the coalition's forces have long been successful in containing the Taliban* and preventing the spread of their influence in the region, they have been unable to shed blood from the campaign. Moreover, as soon as the news of the imminent withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan came out, the Taliban enthusiastically set about seizing new territory. Where are the Afghan army and police? "They just ran away because they didn't know," said a former Afghan government general. According to him, it was the idea of Afghan unification that allowed the Soviet Union and Afghan troops to establish a stable regime led by Najibura in the 1980s, albeit temporarily.