‘Ruthlessness growing in Afghanistan’

Press, 18 April 1980, Page 6

‘Ruthlessness growing in Afghanistan’

NZPA Canberra Intelligence assessments) provided to the Australian: Government by the Department of Foreign Affairs report evidence of a growing ruthlessness in Soviet co u n t e r-insurgency operations in Afghanistan.

The assessments are contained in a document tabled in the Senate yesterday, by Senator John Carrick, representing the Foreign Minister (Mr Andrew Peacock). They predict that the number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan is likely to exceed a million, more than the Kampuchean exodus of 800,000 to 900,000 refugees since June, 1979. “It is our assessment that the U.S.S.R. is intent on eradicating by any means at its disposal and whatever the cost all internal opposition to the Babrak Karmal regime,” . the document states.

“While its efforts have been hampered by the winter, now coming to an end, it is unlikely, to hesitate to use the full weight of its overwhelming military

strength to crush the insurgent resistance when it is better able to deploy and manoeuvre its forces. “Until internal _ security and political stability in Afghanistan is assured on lines favourable to the Sovietinstalled regime, there seems little prospect that the U.S.S.R. will withdraw its forces.”

The document states that oppression in Afghanistan has been consistent since the communist take-over from the . monarchy in 1978 and has involved Soviet participation all along. This is based on investigation of atrocities by an observer from the Paris-

[based International Humad Rights Federation, “a rei sponsible and independent organisation,” recognised by the Council of Europe, it says. .

The observer found evi< dence of purges of in-l tellectuals and religious leaders, and of brutality at! the Pol-e-tcharkhi Prison ati Kabul, under a commandanj whose often-stated doctrind was that the Afghanistan Government needed to rei duce the country’s popm lation to around one milliod to achieve a “communist’’ society.

Allegations of torture! under Soviet supervision! dating from 1978 include! accounts of drowning and other abuses in latrine pits 4 public sexual abuses, mass; drowning, and night-timel burying alive of the maid population in some according to the report. Evidence has been ed of a programme in the! central Afghanistan region of Hazaradjar of submission) by starvation and in the north of unremitting elimlJ nation of village political and religious leaders, accords ing to the report. Accounts have been red ceived of an incident on the) outskirts of Kabul in which 150 members of the popu-j Jation were burnt alive and! a further 150 buried alive, i< says. Further evidence has been obtained of a large-scale viet operation against the) Kunar valley in early Febru-j ary, this year, the report! says. As a result, of 160,000! inhabitants, 130,000 had th flee. ' •" •

The' Soviets used napalrrt and poisonous j gases, and ini' juries reported were. conJ sistent with this use, the re«! port says. I