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Russians: You must know the terrain©Associated Press © St. Petersburg Times,
Popov and other former Soviet officers say top-flight intelligence will be key to whatever operation the United States and its allies might undertake against Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden, the chief suspect in the terror attacks in New York and Washington, is believed to be hiding. "Strictly from my experience, I want to say that for the preparation of such an operation, above all, full-scale intelligence in all forms and methods is needed," Lt. Gen. Boris Gromov, who led the Soviet retreat from Afghanistan, said in written answers to questions from the Associated Press. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said last week that Russia is providing the United States with intelligence about Afghanistan as part of its efforts to cooperate in the war against terrorism and the search for bin Laden. Russian military officials have declined publicly to be specific about just what intelligence their country will provide. But interviews last week with veterans of the Soviet Union's failed 10-year war in Afghanistan indicate they could have a lot to share. "The U.S. secret services must use our experience and knowledge in preparations for the strikes against Afghanistan," said Maj. Valery Misil, who was a deputy commander of a special KGB task unit in Afghanistan. Misil served in Paktika province south of the capital, Kabul, near the border with Pakistan. "I can draw the maps of this province, and I can recollect how the terrain looks with all the caves, passes and brooks. One of the Taliban bases is located there," said Misil, who is a reserve officer. "We are ready to share our experience with the U.S. and work with them as military experts." Popov, a paratrooper who commanded a tactical unit and a reconnaissance group during his two tours in Afghanistan, says a careful study of Afghanistan's geography is essential. "I'd worked in the mountains, but those high mountains and cliffs were really impressive. We had to get over our psychological unpreparedness," said Popov, a senior officer in Russia's peacekeeping forces. The United States has sophisticated satellite mapping capability, electronic surveillance and a host of other technological intelligence means. But it will take more to provide a comprehensive picture of the whereabouts of the ruling Taliban militia's forces -- and bin Laden. Maj. Gen. Makhmud Gareyev was a senior military adviser to Afghan President Najibullah during the Soviet occupation. Afghanistan, Gareyev says, is crisscrossed by caves, tunnels and trenches, some of which go back more than 100 years, when Afghan tribes fought the British. "Some of them have been dug and developed since" the Soviet departure, said Gareyev, president of the Academy of Military Sciences in Moscow. "There are thousands of them. You don't have to agonize over it to get information on them. You have to pay." The Russians warn that the Americans will have to know the languages, recruit agents and win over the Afghan people. "The most difficult thing will be to set up an intelligence system, a network," Gareyev said. Veteran organizations in Russia and other former Soviet republics are testament to the treachery of waging war in Afghanistan. Almost every veteran knows somebody who lost a leg or an arm. "They are specialists in mines, surprises," Popov said. Doorknobs, TV sets, even cigarette packages can be mined. With all those traps laid so carefully for so long, bin Laden could hide for a very long time, the Russians believe. "If you can't identify where he is," Popov said, "you won't be able to get him."
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
