Sarandoy

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Sarandoy
Sarandoy.jpg
Sarandoy gendarmes at a checkpoint (LIFE magazine)
Active1978–1992
CountryAfghanistan Afghanistan
AllegianceDemocratic Republic of Afghanistan
BranchMinistry of the Interior
TypeGendarmerie
RoleInternal security
Counter-insurgency
Size115,000 men (at height)
HeadquartersKabul
Nickname(s)"Defenders of the Revolution"
EngagementsSoviet–Afghan War
Afghan Civil War (1989–1992)
Commanders
Notable
commanders		General Sayed Muhammad Gulabzoi
General Mohammad Aslam Watanjar

The Sarandoy or Tsarandoi (Pashto:څارندوی - "Defenders (of the Revolution)") were a militarized gendarmerie force of the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in the 1980s,[1] during the Soviet–Afghan War.

History[]

Successor of the former Afghan Regional Gendarmerie, the Sarandoy were raised in 1978 with an initial strength of 30,000–35,000 officers and enlisted men, intended to be used on internal security duties.[2][3][4]

The Soviet MVD Kobalt unit was responsible for providing training assistance to Sarandoy officers from 1980/1981.[5] 5,000 Soviet advisors were brought to Afghanistan to assist in training.[6]

The unit was disbanded by 1992 after the start of the Afghan Civil War due to mass cases of desertion.[7][8]

Lack of Cooperation[]

The Sarandoy was subjected to internal politics,[9] as its forces were controlled by the Khalqi Communist faction, opposed to the Parchami Communist faction which controlled the KhAD intelligence services. Accordingly, armed clashes occurred on occasion between the Sarandoy and the KhAD.[10]

In some instances, the Sarandoy's assets were mobilized against pro-Parcham factions.[6]

Missions[]

The Sarandoy are tasked to provide support for Soviet and Afghan forces during anti-guerrilla operations.[5] They're also tasked to arrest any deserters and ensure conscription compliance.[5] The unit is tasked to investigate and join in operations to arrest anyone deemed to enemies of the government.[6]

From 1985, the Sarandoy are tasked to protect economic assets such as oil fields and gas pipelines.[5] When the Soviets started to leave Afghanistan, they're used to provide security during humaniatarian missions and are seen speaking to locals about the purpose of these missions.[5]

A Russian source mentioned that Sarandoy personnel moonlight as bodyguards under orders from Golabzoy.[5]

Organization[]

Placed under the control of the Ministry of the Interior,[8] the Sarandoy was commanded by the Minister of Interior General Sayed Mohammad Gulabzoy, a former Afghan Air Force officer.[11][12] At one point, the Sarandoy fielded some 115,000 men, compared to the Afghan Army's 160,000,[13] while at other times the Sarandoy were said to exceed the Army. The unit grew its size in respond to the rise of the mujahideen insurgency.[6]

Those who served in the Sarandoy were paid 162 dollars a month, a wage which was higher than that of Deputy Minister of National Defence before the April 1978 Saur Revolution and some of them would prove effective fighters, although many were little more than thugs.[4]

Mark Urban wrote in 1988 that '...By 1985 there were 20 identified Sarandoy Operational Battalions and Mountain Battalions. They were attached to provincial Sarandoy commands and include[d] armoured vehicles and light artillery. The Kabul Security Command controlled two mobile regiments (the 1st and 2nd)... A further four Sarandoy brigades/regiments have been identified in Badakhshan (24th Sarandoy Brigade), Kandahar, Baghlan and Parwan.[14] At the beginning of 1986, operational control of some units passed to the new unified Ministry of State Security.

A number of previously Sarandoy units were eventually upgraded to Afghan Army formations,[6] as part of the regularization of the militia. Among these units was the Ismaili in Baghlan Province.

While the Sarandoy were reported to be effective in fighting the mujahideen, Soviet military personnel reported concerns that they're likely to be infiltrated by mujahideen groups.[5] In turn, this forces them to limit sharing whatever information they have to Sarandoy officers.[5]

Training[]

Some prospective Sarandoy were chosen to be trained in the USSR.[6]

List of Sarandoy commanders[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Craig Karp, (March 1988), US Department of State Bulletin.
  2. ^ Isby & Volstad 1986, p. 20.
  3. ^ O'Balance 1993, p. 88.
  4. ^ a b Galeotti 2021, p. 19.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2011/RAND_MG1078.pdf
  6. ^ a b c d e f Landsford 2017, p. 409.
  7. ^ Lansford 2017, p. 410.
  8. ^ a b "Afghanistan — not so great games".
  9. ^ Robert Johnson (2005). A region in turmoil: South Asian conflicts since 1947. Reaktion Books. pp. 176–. ISBN 978-1-86189-257-7. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  10. ^ Shaista Wahab; Barry Youngerman (2007). A brief history of Afghanistan. Infobase Publishing. pp. 166–. ISBN 978-0-8160-5761-0. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  11. ^ Urban 1988, p. 46.
  12. ^ Urban 1988, p. 182.
  13. ^ Milt Bearden; James Risen (6 May 2003). The main enemy: the inside story of the CIA's final showdown with the KGB. Random House Digital, Inc. pp. 310–. ISBN 978-0-679-46309-2. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  14. ^ Urban 1988, p. 226.

Bibliography[]

  • O'Ballance, Edgar (1993). Afghan Wars, Battles in a hostile land - 1839 to the present. UK: Brassey's. ISBN 1-85753-308-9.
  • Isby, David; Volstad, Ron (1993). Russia's War in Afghanistan. UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0-85045-691-6.
  • Guest, Ken (1994). Flashpoint! At the Front Line of Today's Wars. UK: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-247-2.
  • Galeotti, Mark (2021). Storm‑333: KGB and Spetsnaz seize Kabul, Soviet–Afghan War 1979. UK: Oxford. ISBN 9781472841872.
  • Landsford, Tom (2017). Afghanistan at War: From the 18th-Century Durrani Dynasty to the 21st Century. USA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781598847598.
  • Urban, Mark (1988). War in Afghanistan. UK: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0333432648.
  • Zaloga, Steven J.; Lucznak, Wojciech; Beldam, Barry (1992). Armor of the Afghanistan War. Hong Kong: Concord Publications. ISBN 978-0333432648.
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