AFGHANISTAN/USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000201010002-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 21, 2008
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: December 26, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2008/08/21: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000201010002-4
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
26 December 1983.
AFGHANISTAN, ROBINSON: A battle of the airwaves today in Afghahistan.
USSR Moslem guerrillas used wooden shortwave radios to barraee their
country with anti-Soviet, anti-government broadcasts, marking
this week's fourth anniversary of the Soviet invasion'. Official
government radio countered with Soviet propaganda. As Peter
Jennings explains in this special report, today's war of words
is but the latest chapter in the real war that neither side
seems able to win.
JENNINGS: Four years after the Soviet invasion, of Afghanistan,
an unwinnable war drags on unwinnable for either side. These
are some of the Afghan guerrillas who prevented a Soviet
victory, but they've not prevented Soviet domination. It is not
a television war; there are pictures only when the occasional
camera team accompanies the guerrillas, the mujahidin. .There is
no independent reporting from those areas which the Soviets
control. As this team of mujahidin wanders the mountains in
search of Soviet targets, these are the statistics of war.
There are slightly more than 100,000 Soviet troops in
Afghanistan; which is about the size-of Texas. The war taxes
all of its 28 provinces. U.S. intelligence estimates it costs
the Soviets about $3'billion. By international standards, it is
a small one. Casualty figures for both sides are said to be
?high, but the reporting is unreliable. Why, after four years,
have the Soviets not done better? SELIG'HARRISON (South Asia'
Expert): First they miscalculated because they couldn't control
the Communist regime that took over in. 1978, and then they
miscalulated-in 1979 because they thought that they could -come
in for six months and stabilize things and leave. What
superpowers often do, they forget that the mere presence of
foreign soldiers in other countries becomes the main issue.
JENNINGS: There are half a dozen major Afghan guerrilla groups.
Sometimes they fight among themselves for political superiority,
but they all fight as did their ancestors, relentlessly against
any foreign invaders. In very general terms, the Soviets
control most of the?cities, and the Afghan guerrillas have
greater freedom in the countryside. The Soviets keep a tight
rein on the Afghan army. Still, deserters like these two Afghan
soldiers are commonplace. Deserters from the Soviet army get a
lot of attention, but they are not numerous. This soldier was
told he'd be fighting Chinese and American mercenaries.
UNIDENTIFIED SOVIET SOLDIER (Voice of Interpreter): As to why I
deserve it,' in principle I don't agree with the Soviet policy.
I was against the invasion.of Afghanistan. I just didn't want
to be part of this dirty war.*
Approved For Release 2008/08/21: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000201010002-4