The statement of the Afghan Brigadier

Upon his return to San Francisco, the Young Man called the C.I.A. as he had been requested to do. — “When were you in Afghanistan? ” the C.I.A. man said. — The Young Man told him. — “What was this Brigadier’s full name? ” the C.I.A. man said. — The Young Man told him. — “What languages do you speak? ” the C.I.A. man said. — The Young Man told him. — “What’s your social security number? ” the C.I.A. man said. — The Young Man told him. — “Thank you for calling, Mr. Vollmann, ” the C.I.A. man said. “You can reach me at this number anytime. If you call, please refer to me as ‘Nick.’ ”

Five years later, I still had news of the Brigadier. But if Nick ever rearmed him, I never heard of it.^k

* Water.

† Which remains disputed territory.

‡ Here is one of many examples of the Pakistani and Afghan freedom with dates. In fact, Daoud became Prime Minister in 1953, not 1954. He retained this position until 1962, at which time a commoner succeeded him. In 1973 he ousted Zaher Shah in a coup, and remained in power until he was assassinated by the Taraki coup in 1978. Taraki was killed by Amin in 1979, and Amin was executed by the Soviets upon their invasion later that year. See the Chronology at the end of this book for more details.

§ The Parcham (Flag) and Khalq (Masses) parties were two rival leftist parties in Afghanistan which found themselves sharing power uneasily after the invasion. Daoud had both Parcham and Khalq backing in his coup. Amin and Taraki were Khalq. Babrak Karmal, their Soviet-installed successor, was Parcham. In 1982 Karmal was still in power.

‖ I have not hesitated to edit the interviews in this book in order to make their syntax more readily comprehensible.

a Each of the latter two parties called itself Hezb-i-Islami.

b “Your gift of help to Afghans is very appreciated, ” wrote the General in 1984, “but this amount cannot be given to anyone. You could donate the amount to an education institute — if you so desire.” —“SORRY, ” said the rather surprising signs put up by the Berkeley Spartacists in 1983, who vowed to defend bureaucratically deformed workers’ states by any means necessary. “AFGHAN SLIDE SHOW CANCELED — will be rescheduled.” —“Your show was well received, and, as I believe you would have wished, provoked a goodly amount of reflection afterward, ” wrote Mr. Scott Swanson in 1985. “Unfortunately, a snowstorm kept all but the most hearty away.”

c Or else — what seems more likely to me now — the General had a very kind heart.

d I know now that I could have done no better.

e Thousands.

f Imagine that! This fine old man, who was close to the center of power in his country, was worried about losing face with a twenty-two-year-old boy who got sick in the sun. Why? Because the boy was American.

g The Brigadier’s numbers, like much else about him, are enigmatical. Pakistanis and Afghans seem freer in their use of figures than we. By “a thousand” he might mean “a good number.” Then again, he might mean “a thousand.” The General’s corroboration was important, for I never knew him to make a deliberate misstatement of any kind.

h Indeed, in token of their kinship with us — which we Christians are too provincial to feel with them — Muslims call us “the People of the Book.”

i Sexually violating.

j I have heard many reports of Soviet soldiers raping Afghan women, but only one other account of sexual violation of corpses.

k The Brigadier “is fine and healthy, ” wrote the General a few months after I left. “All those who matter now realize that we ought to help those who are involved in fighting inside. Masoud the hero of Panjsher has contacted him through his father, who is also a retired Brigadier General … Lord C— B— of U.K. had also contacted him. He will be all right, in spite of no help from his Arab friends …” —The General did not even mention the Americans anymore.