AGHAN FREEDOM FIGHTERS MATURE AS SUPPORT HOLDS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000403970002-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 18, 2010
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: March 21, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/18: CIA-RDP90-00552R000403970002-8
ARTICLE APPEARED WASHINGTON TIMES
ON PAGE C.. 21 March 1984
Afghan freedom iglers
mature as support h1ds
Karen McKay, executive director of the tremely heavy duress. The only way that could hap-
Committee for a Free Afghanistan, on the on- pen is for them to pay such a heavy military cost and
going'battle of the Afghan freedom fighters. such a heavy political and diplomatic cost that they
would decide to cut their losses and get out and wait
Today marks the third observance of Free Af- 1 for another time. They've been forced to withdraw
ghanistan Day. Proclaimed on March 21,1982, by from Iran in that way three times this century.
President Reagan, it coincides with the traditional Q: Is it true the Soviets have placed SS-20 missiles
Afghan New Year. The person perhaps most responsi-. 1n Afghanistan?
ble for keeping Afghanistan's too-easily-forgotten A: An Italian news magazine, II Borghese, re-
war before the public is executive director of the ported about a year ago that SS-20s were affirmed
Committee for a Free Afjhanistan, Karen McKay. A installed outside of Kabul. We know also from the -
major in the Army reserve, Ms. McKay is the untiring. Mujahideen.that there is some kind of massive un-
spokesman and advocate for the embattled Afghan derground base in the middle.of a mountain up in the
freedom fighters. She spoke recently with Charlie Wakkhan corridor in an area called "the roof of the
Wheeler, assistant editor of The Washington Times' ' world." It's an area of tremendous mountains. Every
Commentary pages. day a long convoy of armored personnel carriers
bearing covered materials enters that mountain and
come out empty. In other parts of the country, the
Q: What role does Afghanistan play in the Soviet Afghans reported seeing gigantic missiles being
global strategy? transported on lowboys and other smaller missiles.
stacked like cordwood on the backs of long trucks en
A: Afghanistan is playing the same role it's played tering these bases.
for thousands of years. It has always been the neces- The Soviets are stepping up their entrenchment in
sary passage point - east, west, north, south for any 1' Afghanistan. They've got 34 bases in the country. Six
conquering army. A hundred years ago, the British or eight of them are strategic long-range offensive
fought three wars in Afghanistan to try to stop the bases along the borders of Iran, Pakistan and China.
Russians from advancing on the Persian Gulf and the They've got Shindand, one of the most sophisticated
Arabian Sea - moves that would have threatened the combined arms bases in the world. They've got hard-
British Empire: Today, ttie'Sovie_ is still have the need ened underground hangars, they've got long run-
for warm water ports the czars had, which is why ' ways that can handle their biggest aircraft. They've
they were'pushing for the Indian Ocean. got fighter-bombers, long-range bombers. They've
Add to that the vast oil reserves of the Persian got MI-24 Hind helicopters, transfer helicopters, 1
Gulf. There are people. ho argue that the Russians tanks. They have long-range surface to air missiles I
don't need our oil becase they have plenty of oil of there as well as in other bases.
their own. There are three things wrong with that.
One - what oil they've got is very difficult to extract ., Q: What's your opinion of onflicting reports of aid
from the ground in Siberia. That's why they need going into Afghanistan and whether it's from us?
our oil-drilling technology. Two - we know they're
going to run out of oil. Their reserves are not all that A.There are a lot of rumors and talk about a mas-
great and three - even if they didn't need our oil, -~ sive CIA operation to support the Afghans through
they need to deny it to us;3'heir game plan all over third countries. I think Carl Bernstein of Watergate's
the globe is to position themselves to so theyare fame called it a CIA plot to kill Russian soldiers in
poised to sever our resource lifelines. Afghanistan with Soviet-made weapons. The fact is.
When you look at the map, every single vital re- if there were any significant outside support, from,,
source lifeline that keeps this country and the west-
ern, the European and Japanese going now is Continued
threatened by the Soviets. That's where Afghanistan
plays a part. From their bases in southern Af-' ___ . , - - . _. I -
ghanistan, the Soviets' MiG fighter-bombers are only
350 air-miles - 20 minutes - from the Straits of
'Hormuz and the Persian Gulf oilfields. That's what
it's all about.
The Soviets have no intention of withdrawing. from
Afghanistan. They didn't go in there for a picnic.
They didn't go in there for defensive reasons
and they're not going to withdraw unless under ex-
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/18: CIA-RDP90-00552R000403970002-8