Editing KHAD

{{Short description|Afghan state intelligence agency}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = Khadamat-e Aetla'at-e Dawlati (KhAD)
| nativename_a    = {{langx|ps|د ملي امنیت لوی ریاست}}<br />{{langx|prs|ریاست عمومی امنیت ملی}}
| nativename_r    = {{lang|ps|Da Millī Amniyat Loy Riyāsat}}<br />{{lang|prs|Riyāsat-e Umūmī Amniyat-e Millī}}
| seal            = Emblem of the KHAD (1987-1992).svg
| seal_width      = 140px
| seal_caption    = KhAD emblem from 1980 to 1987
| formed          = {{Start date and age|1980|01}}
| preceding1      = Istikhbarat (–1978)
| preceding2      = AGSA (1978–1979)
| preceding3      = KAM (1979–1979)
| dissolved       = {{End date and age|1992|4}}
| superseding1    = WAD (1987–1992)
| superseding2    = [[National Directorate of Security|NDS]] (2002–2021)
| superseding3    = [[General Directorate of Intelligence|GDI]] (2021–present)
| jurisdiction    = 
| headquarters    = Shashdarak Centre, [[Kabul]], [[Afghanistan]]
| employees       = 90,000 (1990)<ref name="afghanistan-analysts.org">{{Cite web |date=2018-05-03 |title=An April Day That Changed Afghanistan 4: The evolution of the PDPA and its relations with the Soviet Union |url=https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/context-culture/an-april-day-that-changed-afghanistan-4-the-evolution-of-the-pdpa-and-its-relations-with-the-soviet-union/ |access-date=2023-07-28 |website=Afghanistan Analysts Network - English |language=ps-GB}}</ref><ref name="Giustozzi 2000 98,266">{{Cite book |last=Giustozzi |first=Antonio |title=War, Politics and Society |publisher=C. Hurst & Co. London |year=2000 |isbn=9780878407583 |pages=98,266}}</ref>
| budget          = $160 million (1986)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weymouth |first=Lally |date=1988-08-28 |title=WHO KILLED PAKISTAN'S ZIA THE FEARS AND THE THEORIES |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1988/08/28/who-killed-pakistans-zia-the-fears-and-the-theories/55800e7e-9b38-419f-bb78-fcfe888d6f11/ |access-date=2023-07-12 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
| minister2_name  = 
| minister2_pfo   = 
| chief1_name     = 
| chief1_position = 
| chief2_name     = 
| chief2_position = 
| parent_agency   = 
| child1_agency   = 
| child2_agency   = 
| website         = 
| footnotes       = 
| agency_type     = [[Secret Police]]
}}

The '''''Khadamat-e Aetla'at-e Dawlati''''' ([[Pashto]]/{{langx|prs|خدمات اطلاعات دولتی}} literally "State Intelligence Agency", also known as "State Information Services"<ref name="UNHCRR">[https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/482947db2.pdf Note on the Structure and Operation of the KhAD/WAD in Afghanistan 1978–1992]</ref> or "Committee of State Security"<ref name="APKHAD">{{Cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/737418c9004f2725d3963060d3373c9e |title=Archived copy |website=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=12 October 2021 |archive-date=28 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328033640/https://apnews.com/article/737418c9004f2725d3963060d3373c9e |url-status=dead}}</ref>), better known by the [[acronym]] '''KhAD''', was the agency in charge of [[internal security]], [[foreign intelligence]], [[Counterintelligence|counter-intelligence]] and the [[secret police]] of the former [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan]].

==History==
===Pre-KhAD (-1979)===
Afghanistan had an intelligence agency known as the ''Istikhbarat'' ([[Dari]]:  استخبارات), Intelligence or the Intelligence Report Directorate.{{sfn|Hänni|Riegler|Gasztold|2020|p=49}}<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Azimi |first=General Nabi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M5aSDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT199 |title=The Army and Politics: Afghanistan: 1963-1993 |date=2019-04-11 |publisher=AuthorHouse |isbn=978-1-7283-8701-7 |language=en}}</ref> However, observers have stated it was incompetent with Afghan leaders since it was ineffective as they preferred to use their personal connections instead.{{sfn|Hänni|Riegler|Gasztold|2020|p=129}} Sardar Abdul Wali, the commander of the 1st Central Army Corps, additionally had his own espionage and secret intelligence network where he prosecuted leftist groups such as the [[People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan]] and the supporters of [[Mohammad Daoud Khan]]. General Ismail Khan was also noted to have been a part of the Civil Secret Agency (CSA) during the “Decade of Constitution” and reign of [[Mohammad Zahir Shah]].<ref name=":3" />

After the events of the [[Saur Revolution]], the [[People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan|PDPA]] established AGSA (''Da Afghanistan da Gato da Saatane Adara'' or '''Afghan Agency for Safeguarding National Interest''') as its domestic/foreign intelligence agency<ref name="UNHCRR"/> with Assadullah Sarwari serving as its first director.<ref name="AUAE">{{Cite web|url=https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Wild-Blue-Yonder/Article-Display/Article/2072075/afghanistan-intelligence-war/|title=Afghanistan Intelligence War > Air University (AU) > Wild Blue Yonder|website=www.airuniversity.af.edu|date=17 February 2020 |last1=Rockwell |first1=Ernest }}</ref> Sarwari was known for torturing anyone who disagreed with the PDPA.<ref name="AIA">{{Cite journal|doi = 10.1080/03064228208533353|title = Afghan intelligentsia 1978-81: For four traumatic years all independent thinkers have been under attack|year = 1982|last1 = Hyman|first1 = Anthony|journal = Index on Censorship|volume = 11|issue = 2|pages = 8–9|s2cid = 143952115|doi-access = }}</ref> AGSA operations eventually led to an anti-PDPA insurgency.{{Sfn|Landsford|2017|p=433}} AGSA additionally had a secret code between members Meera Jan, Fazil Qadir and the head of AGSA’s investigation committee which was intercepted by Rahmatullah Omid, used for killing anyone who the [[Khalq]] deemed an enemy. The killings would take place at night. The code was used via telephone and was in the [[Russian language]], with the transcript reading “How’s the weather like? Are we going to shoot, are we going to kill?”.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Azimi |first=General Nabi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M5aSDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT199 |title=The Army and Politics: Afghanistan: 1963-1993 |date=2019-04-11 |publisher=AuthorHouse |isbn=978-1-7283-8701-7 |language=en}}{{page number needed|date=September 2024}}</ref>

AGSA was additionally involved in the hangings of [[Parcham]] members in 1978 and the executions of the following people:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Azimi |first=General Nabi |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M5aSDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT199 |title=The Army and Politics: Afghanistan: 1963-1993 |date=2019-04-11 |publisher=AuthorHouse |isbn=978-1-7283-8701-7 |language=en}}</ref>

*[[Colonel]] Hidayatullah (Head of Operations of the [[Ministry of Defense (Afghanistan)|Ministry of Defense]])
*[[Major (rank)|Major]] Arif
*Major Khaleelullah ([[Chief of General Staff (Afghanistan)|Chief of Staff]] of the 242nd Parachute Battalion)
*Major Mohammed Anwar
*Major Jilani
*Major Seyair
*Major Shir Jan (242nd Parachute Battalion officer)
*Major Sayd Zamanudeen (242nd Parachute Battalion officer)
*Major Abdul Baqi
*Captain Mohammed Karim 
*Major Inayat 
*Commander Mohammed Musa ([[Afghan Air Force (1978-1992)|Afghan Air Force and Air Defense]] commander who received his [[Chief of General Staff (Afghanistan)|Chief of Army Staff]] diploma from the [[United States]])
*General Mohammed Younus (11th Division Commander)
*Commander Nowruz (Commander of the 7th Division’s 55th Regiment)
*General Sayd Abdul Ghani Khan
*General Mohammed Safar Khan [[Nuristanis|Nuristani]] 
*General Ahmad Shah [[Gardez|Gardezi]] 
*Lieutenant General Mohammed Musa [[Nuristanis|Nuristani]] 

In September 1979, AGSA was replaced with KAM (''Komite-ye Amniyat-e Melli'' or '''National Security Committee'''){{efn|Some other sources mention that KAM stands for ''Kargari Astekhbarati Muassessa'' or Worker's Intelligence Institute<ref name="KHADR">[https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA187795.pdf Article title]</ref> and ''Kargarano Amniyati Mu’asasa'' or Workers' Security Institution.{{Sfn|Landsford|2017|p=433}}}} under [[Hafizullah Amin]]'s direction.<ref name="UNHCRR"/><ref name="AUAE"/> Several AGSA officials were either placed under surveillance or were arrested.{{Sfn|Landsford|2017|p=433}} KAM had a total of 7000 employees.<ref name="afghanistan-analysts.org">{{Cite web |date=2018-05-03 |title=An April Day That Changed Afghanistan 4: The evolution of the PDPA and its relations with the Soviet Union |url=https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/context-culture/an-april-day-that-changed-afghanistan-4-the-evolution-of-the-pdpa-and-its-relations-with-the-soviet-union/ |access-date=2023-07-28 |website=Afghanistan Analysts Network - English |language=ps-GB}}</ref><ref name="Giustozzi 2000 98,266">{{Cite book |last=Giustozzi |first=Antonio |title=War, Politics and Society |publisher=C. Hurst & Co. London |year=2000 |isbn=9780878407583 |pages=98,266}}</ref>

Aziz Ahmed Akbari was called in to take over from Sarwari when he took refuge in the Soviet Embassy.<ref name="KHADR"/> After two months, [[Assadullah Amin]] was appointed by his uncle to lead KAM.<ref name="KHADR"/> KAM did not last long after the Soviets officially entered Afghanistan in 1979.{{Sfn|Landsford|2017|p=433}}

===KhAD (1980-1986)===

KhAD was created on 10 January 1980<ref>https://www.statewatch.org/media/documents/news/2009/mar/afghanistan-ukba-c-of-origin-report.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> and was officially announced by President [[Babrak Karmal]], with 1,200 personnel inside the [[People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan]] who took over intelligence responsibilities from KAM in December 1979, with most of them being pro-[[Parchamite|Parchamites]]. The group was known as “the activists”<ref>https://www.statewatch.org/media/documents/news/2009/mar/afghanistan-ukba-c-of-origin-report.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> and was active until March 1980,<ref name="UNHCRR"/> being initially headed by [[Mohammad Najibullah]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-10-19-op-5929-story.html|title=Moscow's Man in Kabul Crucial to Soviet Pullouts|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=19 October 1986}}</ref> alongside Dr. Baha<ref name="UNHCRR"/> who worked on establishing the structure that would later be referred to as KhAD. 

After [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet troops were deployed]] in Afghanistan, KhAD was expanded with Moscow's assistance, which includes sophisticated torture equipment.<ref name="AIA"/> Najibullah took the opportunity of his post to rise within the PDPA before Major-General Ghulam Faruq Yaqubi took over KhAD duties in November 1985.<ref name="NMFAK"/>
Soviet advisors were known to work alongside KhAD personnel and major decisions are not made without their input.<ref name="UNHCRR"/> In some instances, KhAD agents accompanied KGB Kaskad (Cascade) operators on anti-mujahideen infiltration ops.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sofrep.com/news/russia-guerilla-sof-kaskad/|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210304123123/https://sofrep.com/news/russia-guerilla-sof-kaskad/|archive-date = 4 March 2021|title = Russian Guerilla SOF: KASKAD - Putin's Foreign Legion of Hybrid Warfighters|date = 4 May 2016}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite journal |last=Oliker |first=Olga |date=2011-10-13 |title=Building Afghanistan's Security Forces in Wartime: The Soviet Experience |url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1078.html|publisher=[[Rand Corporation]] |language=en}}</ref> KhAD personnel were also authorised to use any strategies necessary to ensure they did not disclose their identities as officers of the agency, as a former KhAD advisor stated that Pakistanis did not want to capture KhAD [[Special forces|Special Forces]] operatives alive.<ref>https://www.statewatch.org/media/documents/news/2009/mar/afghanistan-ukba-c-of-origin-report.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref><ref>https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2011/RAND_MG1078.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> During an attack on army bases in Keran Valley led by [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]] in 1987, a base consisting of 200 soldiers immediately fell whereas 16 KhAD operatives continued to fight to their deaths for six hours. In the aftermath, two leaders committed [[suicide]] and one agent was killed which led to 13 operatives finally surrendering.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=KhAD 4 |url=http://mackenzieproductions.com/KhAD_4.html |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=mackenzieproductions.com}}</ref>

The agency's manpower increased from 1,200 to nearly 70,000 personnel.<ref name="auto"/> KhAD was able to turn some mujahideen groups to work with the PDPA by providing incentives such as small arms or money in return for their loyalty by attending [[Jirga|loya jirgas]] and other pro-PDPA activities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB57/essay.html|title = Afghanistan: Lessons from the Last War}}</ref><ref name="auto" />

They've worked with the [[KGB]] to fund and assist Murtaza Bhutto for his involvement in the hijacking of [[Pakistan International Airlines Flight 326]] and with Baluchistan and Sind dissidents, according to files obtained by [[Vasili Mitrokhin]] from KGB files.<ref name="WP">{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2002/02/24/spies-lies-and-the-distortion-of-history/7469fae7-4859-495b-959d-42eccdb38fbe/| title = Spies, Lies and the Distortion of History - The Washington Post| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref name="auto"/> KhAD’s infiltration of various mujahideen groups did help to contribute to some of the infighting.<ref name="WP"/><ref name="auto"/> KhAD operatives additionally attempted to assassinate [[Gulbuddin Hekmatyar]] in 1987, using a remote-controlled car bomb and wounding two of his bodyguards. Other operations included the kidnapping of one of Massoud’s five brothers in Peshawar, as well as sending KhAD assassination teams (paid in the equivalent of thousands of [[Dollar|dollars]]) into [[Panjshir Province]] to assassinate [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]].<ref name=":2" />

The 1986 [[National Reconciliation (Afghanistan)|National Reconciliation Act]], enacted by President [[Mohammad Najibullah]], meant that the powers of individual KhAD officers were reduced and they would have to consult with local police forces, ''shuras'', and the provincial and district offices of the attorney general if they wanted to make any arrest.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Note on the Structure and Operation of the KhAD/WAD in Afghanistan 1978-1992 |url=https://www.refworld.org/reference/countryrep/unhcr/2008/en/58178 |access-date=2024-05-12 |website=Refworld |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Emblem of the KHAD (1980-1987).svg|thumb|208x208px|WAD emblem from 1980 to 1987]]

===Post-KhAD (1986-2001)===
On 9 January 1986, KhAD was changed with its name to WAD (''Wazarat-e Amaniat-e Dowlati'' or '''Ministry of State Security'''), with the agency becoming its own ministry.<ref name="NMFAK">{{Cite web|url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/467006172.html|title=Refworld &#124; Afghanistan - Security Services in Communist Afghanistan (1978–1992). AGSA, KAM, KhAD and WAD|website=Refworld}}</ref> It was reported that WAD was placed in charge of controlling the Kabul Garrison.<ref name="NMFAK"/> Its budget and size were expanded.{{Sfn|Landsford|2017|p=433}} However WAD would still often be referred to as KhAD by the US government and the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]. In 1987 KhAD was behind many terrorist attacks on Pakistani soil including the [[1987 Karachi car bombing|Karachi Car bombing]] and an attempted car bombing on the [[US consulate|US Consulate]] in [[Peshawar]] which ended up killing over 30 people.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=TERRORISM REVIEW FOR 13 JANUARY 1987 {{!}} CIA FOIA (foia.cia.gov) |url=https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/document/0000258615 |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=www.cia.gov}}</ref> 

In 1989, WAD-led forces, more specifically the Special Guard and the 904th Battalion, fought in the [[Battle of Jalalabad (1989)|Battle of Jalalabad]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fleiss |first=Alex |date=2022-04-05 |title=What happened in the battle of Jalalabad? |url=https://www.rebellionresearch.com/what-happened-in-the-battle-of-jalalabad |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=Rebellion Research |language=en-US}}</ref> In March 1990, Lieutenant-General [[Shahnawaz Tanai]] attempted a coup, which was suppressed by the WAD-led Afghan National Guard (''Gard-e-Milli''), General Khushal Peroz and [[Mohammad Aslam Watanjar]].<ref name="NMFAK"/>

[[File:Afghan KHAD patch 1987.jpg|150px|thumb|A black 1987 KHAD patch<ref>{{Cite web |title=Local Military Roundtable Display |url=https://oefoif.forumotion.net/t8535-local-military-roundtable-display |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=oefoif.forumotion.net |language=en}}</ref>]]

During the civil war in the 1990s, [[Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin|Hezb-i-Islami]], the [[Northern Alliance]] and the [[Taliban]] all recruited ex-KhAD officers and agents to act as their moles operating behind enemy territory.<ref name="AUAE"/>

==Recruitment==
Before KhAD approached potential candidates for the agency’s officer base, they extensively screened the candidate beforehand, as well as secretly probed their entire family. Only [[People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan|PDPA]] members who were extremely loyal and belonged to pro-government families qualified for admission as officers. Women were also employed as [[Non-commissioned officer|NCOs]] and officers, although they were underrepresented in [[senior officer]] ranks.

Once recruited, KhAD [[Non-commissioned officer|NCOs]] and [[Officer|officers]] received intensive training known as “''Parawachi''” or “''Parwareshi''” and after the training was completed, recruits went through a trial period known as “''Azmajchi''” or “''Azmayeshi''”, where they’d have to prove their loyalty by spying on their family members, arresting friends, partners and subjecting them to torture. Over time, the tasks seasoned recruits were asked to perform would only become more intense, being ordered to infiltrate the ranks of the [[Afghan mujahidin|Afghan mujahideen]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Afghanistan - Security Services in Communist Afghanistan (1978-1992). AGSA, KAM, KhAD and WAD |url=https://www.refworld.org/reference/countryrep/nmfa/2001/en/77882 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=Refworld |language=en}}</ref> On their first assignment, the recruits were transferred to KhAD/WAD sections actively engaged in tracking down “subversive elements”. Only those who proved their worth were promoted or transferred to sections with more administrative or technical activities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tribunal decisions |url=https://tribunalsdecisions.service.gov.uk/utiac/2006-ukait-3 |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=tribunalsdecisions.service.gov.uk}}</ref>    

Potential applicants may have been prompted to join KhAD as the role of officer provided material benefits, such as a salary ten times higher than that of a government official. KhAD officers were additionally exempt from conscription and had free access to [[Alcoholic beverage|alcohol]] and even [[Prostitution|prostitutes]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Afghanistan - Security Services in Communist Afghanistan (1978-1992). AGSA, KAM, KhAD and WAD |url=https://www.refworld.org/reference/countryrep/nmfa/2001/en/77882 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=Refworld |language=en}}</ref> If a KhAD officer was killed in action, their family would also receive financial compensation and benefits from the government.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tribunal decisions |url=https://tribunalsdecisions.service.gov.uk/utiac/2006-ukait-3 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=tribunalsdecisions.service.gov.uk}}</ref> One former officer, believed to have used a [[ZSU-23-4 Shilka]]—a weapon used to target aircraft—on human targets of [[Mujahideen]] fighters, also recounts “living like a king” due to having access to any form of weaponry and vehicles upon arrival to [[Kabul]].     

===Training===
Kaskad operators were responsible for training KhAD personnel.<ref name="auto"/> KhAD officers had to go through a mandatory training course in [[Kabul]] where they were taught about [[military logistics]], how to recruit potential officers, organisation and how to identify covert meetings and networks. KhAD officers, starting from first lieutenant to lieutenant colonel, were given mandatory training at the KGB School at [[Balashikha]], [[Uzbekistan]], and other KGB training facilities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baltdefcol.org/files/files/documents/Research/BSDR2009/2_%20Evsikov%20-%20Soviet%20Intelligence%20in%20Afghanistan.pdf|title=Baltic Defence College - Home|access-date=12 October 2021|archive-date=28 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028165747/https://www.baltdefcol.org/files/files/documents/Research/BSDR2009/2_%2520Evsikov%2520-%2520Soviet%2520Intelligence%2520in%2520Afghanistan.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Unlike the mandatory training in Kabul, the course in [[Tashkent]] included interrogation and criminal investigation techniques. High-ranking KhAD officers, starting from the rank of colonel and upwards, received additional mandatory training in [[Moscow]]. Unlike other techniques taught to officers in [[Kabul]], [[Balashikha]] and [[Uzbekistan]], the higher-ranking officers would receive training on management and policy issues, as well as financial affairs.<ref>https://www.statewatch.org/media/documents/news/2009/mar/afghanistan-ukba-c-of-origin-report.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref>

==Psychological Warfare and State-Sponsored Terrorism==
{{Main|KHAD-KGB campaign in Pakistan}}

=== Prostitution Spy Rings ===
In mid-1985, the [[Soviet Union]] and [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|Kabul]] launched [[psychological warfare]] against Pakistan in an attempt to morally destabilize society. As part of this strategy, the [[KGB]] and KhAD deployed hundreds of young girls of Central Asian, and Russian origin to corrupt Pakistani society. This influx initially targeted the major urban centers such as [[Islamabad]], [[Lahore]], [[Karachi]], [[Faisalabad]], [[Multan]], and [[Quetta]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 1992 |title=The Herald |pages=23–28 }}</ref> These groups of prostitutes strategically selected affluent areas in these cities and operated within a well-organized structure. Many of these prostitutes had connections to [[KGB]] and KhAD agents, with high-ranking government officials and Pakistan army officers being their primary targets.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 1985 |title=Asia Week |pages=9–11}}</ref> This led to the emergence of a "galemjum ([[Prostitution|prostitute]]) culture" in Pakistani society, which attracted professionals, the local commercial class, and frustrated youth in various urban centers.

=== State-Sponsored Terrorism ===
According to a report by the US Defense Department, approximately 90% of the estimated 777 acts of international terrorism committed worldwide in 1987 took place in Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite news |first= |date=December 1987 |title=International Herald Tribune |pages=3 }}</ref> By 1988, [[KGB]] and KhAD agents were able to penetrate deep inside Pakistan and carry out attacks on mujahideen sanctuaries and guerrilla bases.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 February 1987 |title=Prime Minister Mohammad Khan Junejo warned today Pakistan would... |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1987/02/28/Prime-Minister-Mohammad-Khan-Junejo-warned-today-Pakistan-would/9072541486800/}}</ref> There was strong circumstantial evidence implicating Moscow-Kabul in the August 1988 assassination of [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|Zia ul-Haq]], as the Soviets perceived that Zia wanted to adversely affect the [[Geneva Accords (1988)|Geneva process]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hilali |first=A Z |date= |title=Costs & Benefits of Afghan War for Pakistan |url=https://www.khyber.org/publications/pdf/afghanwarcosts.pdf |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417202859/https://www.khyber.org/publications/pdf/afghanwarcosts.pdf|archive-date=17 April 2021 }}</ref> WAD/KhAD has also been suspected behind the assassination of [[Palestinians|Palestinian]] jihadist [[Abdullah Yusuf Azzam]] alongside his son in 1989.<ref>Peter L. Bergen, ''The Osama bin Laden I Know,'' New York: Free Press, 2006, p.97</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Coll |first=Steve |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/52814066 |title=Ghost wars : the secret history of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet invasion to September 10, 2001 |date=2004 |publisher=Penguin Press |isbn=1-59420-007-6 |location=New York |oclc=52814066 |access-date=July 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811181909/https://www.worldcat.org/title/ghost-wars-the-secret-history-of-the-cia-afghanistan-and-bin-laden-from-the-soviet-invasion-to-september-10-2001/oclc/52814066 |archive-date=August 11, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Afghanistan's KHAD was one of four secret service agencies accused of perpetrating terrorist bombings in multiple Pakistani cities including [[Islamabad]], [[Lahore]], [[Karachi]], and [[Rawalpindi]] during the early 1980s resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brumley |first=Bryan |date=2 April 1988 |title=Afghan Spy Agency Wages Terror Campaign in Pakistan |website=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://apnews.com/article/737418c9004f2725d3963060d3373c9e}}</ref> By the late 1980s, the US State Department blamed WAD for the perpetration of terrorist bombings in Pakistani cities.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kaplan |first1=Robert D. |date=23 August 1989 |title=How Zia's Death Helped the U.S |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/23/opinion/how-zia-s-death-helped-the-us.html?pagewanted=1 |url-status=live |access-date=24 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109155701/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/23/opinion/how-zia-s-death-helped-the-us.html?pagewanted=1 |archive-date=9 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Pear |first=Robert |date=25 June 1989 |title=F.B.I. Allowed to Investigate Crash That Killed Zia |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/25/world/fbi-allowed-to-investigate-crash-that-killed-zia.html |url-status=live |access-date=24 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315192030/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/25/world/fbi-allowed-to-investigate-crash-that-killed-zia.html |archive-date=15 March 2010}}</ref> Between the late 1970s and the early 1990s, Afghanistan security agencies supported the terrorist organization called [[Al-Zulfikar|al-Zulfiqar]], the group that [[1981 Pakistan International Airlines hijacking|hijacked a Pakistan International Airlines plane]] from Karachi to Kabul in 1981.<ref>{{cite web |date=2008-03-01 |title=START &#124; Terrorist Organization Profile |url=http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data/tops/terrorist_organization_profile.asp?id=195 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100606104509/http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data/tops/terrorist_organization_profile.asp?id=195 |archive-date=6 June 2010 |access-date=2010-06-21 |publisher=Start.umd.edu}}</ref> Notable attacks include the [[1987 Karachi car bombing|Karachi Car bombing]] and an attempted car bombing on the [[US consulate|US Consulate]] in [[Peshawar]] which ended up killing over 30 people in 1987.<ref name=":1" />

===The Hathora Murders of Karachi===
Around 1985, [[Pakistani police]] in the city of [[Karachi]] were becoming alarmed by an increased number of killings. While the murders took place in different areas of the city, an investigation found these murders were done in the same manner; a single blow to the head with a hathora (the word for "hammer" in [[Urdu]]). Upon investigation of the victims and their backgrounds, it was found that they were all street urchins or beggars on the streets.

None of the victims of the Hathora group survived apart from one person, who described the murderers as men in “white suits and black masks” who drove a white [[Suzuki]] vehicle. Upon realization that these murders were being committed by a group, newspapers across the nation began to report the victim's story and referred to these men as "the Hathora Group" owing to their method of using hammers to murder their victims. Police didn’t know who these men were and what motives they had to do commit these murders. For a while, these cases of murders stopped and then finally resumed around some time in mid-1986. For nearly 2 years, the city of [[Karachi]] was terrorised by the horrors of such group, with civilians fearing they would enter their homes and be killed by the Hathora group.

Some [[Pakistanis|Pakistani]] newspapers alluded that the Hathora group was actually made up of members of the Soviet intelligence agency, the [[KGB]], and KHAD, who were striking back due to the Pakistani government backing the [[Afghan mujahidin|Afghan mujahideen]] against the [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Paracha |first=Nadeem F. |date=2015-04-26 |title=Hathora Group: Karachi's first terror |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1177771 |access-date=2023-09-05 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref> A sociologist, when asked about these killings, mentioned that the chaos that was occurring in Karachi was easily manipulated by groups for their own motives. The sociologist strongly believed that these killings were planned to spread more fear in the city, which could be the intention of KHAD and the motive behind the murders, although it is unknown if KHAD was behind these murders.

==Structure==

===KhAD===
KhAD was known to have the following organizational structures in place:<ref name="UNHCRR"/>

====Headquarters====
* Directorate of Administration and Finance 
* Directorate of Cadre / Personnel 
* Directorate of Interrogation 
* Directorate of Intelligence and Afghan Diplomatic Missions Abroad 
* Directorate of Post and Parcels 
* Directorate for Operative Activities for Internal Control of KhAD Personnel 
* Directorate for Economy and Anti Corruption 
* Directorate for Counter Rebellion: Two Sub-Directorates covering 16 provinces each. Known to have three military battalions based in Kabul to assist with arrests and other investigative work.
* Directorate for Surveillance of Foreign and National Suspects
* Directorate of the Press and Educational Institutions
* Directorate for the Protection of the Government and its Representatives 
* Directorate of Propaganda and Counter-Propaganda 
* Directorate of Telecommunications and Decoding 
* Directorate for Activities Linked to Infiltration of Mujaheddin 
* Directorate of Logistics 
* Directorate for Agents and Informers 
* Directorate of Analysis and Reporting 
* Tenth Directorate (Foreign Intelligence)
* KhAD-e-Nezami (Military Intelligence)/Military KhAD: Embedded in the Ministry of Defense to prevent infiltration by mujahideen groups.
* Police KhAD: Embedded in the Ministry of Interior to prevent infiltration by mujahideen groups.
* Air Force and Air Defense Command KhAD Department<ref>{{Cite web |last=Directorate of Intelligence |first=CIA |date=May 1986 |title=The Afghan Air Force: New Planes, Old Problems, Little Impact |url=https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP88T00096R000200260002-1.pdf |website=CIA Library}}</ref>

====Provincial====
* Administration and Finance 
* Cadre / Personnel Directorate 
* Surveillance of foreign and national suspects 
* Interrogation 
* Post and Parcels 
* Operative activities for internal control of KhAD personnel 
* Propaganda and counter-propaganda 
* Economy and Anti-Corruption 
* Press and Educational institutions 
* Logistics 
* Counter-Rebellion: 2 Sub-Directorates covering 16 Provinces each
* Protection of the government and its representatives 
* Telecommunication and Decoding 
* Activities linked to infiltration of Mujaheddin 
* Agents and Informer Unit 
* Analysis and Reporting 
* City District Offices 
* Rural District Offices
* Military and Police KhAD within the respective ministries' structures

While not part of the KHAD structure, [[Ismatullah Muslim|militias]] recruited from tribal and anti-government militias who agreed to work with them, are finally supported by the agency.<ref name="UNHCRR"/> KhAD also had its own special forces units, attached to each province which included between 250-300 personnel.<ref name="auto"/> KhAD-e Nezami, the military intelligence agency of the [[Afghan Army]], additionally had four Afghan [[spetsnaz]] battalions under their control, such as the:

* [[203rd Separate Spetsnaz Battalion]] (Kabul)
* 211th Separate Spetsnaz Battalion ([[Jalalabad]])
* 212th Separate Spetsnaz Battalion ([[Gardez]])
* 230th Separate Spetsnaz Battalion ([[Kandahar]])

===WAD===
The WAD was known to have the following organizational structures in place:<ref name="UNHCRR"/>

* Directorate-General for Security: Ensure WAD's internal/external security.
* Directorate-General for Military Security: Successor of Military KHAD forces.
* Directorate-General for the Interior: Successor of Civilian KHAD activities on monitoring anti-government activities in and out of Afghanistan.

==Human rights abuses==
KHAD was also accused of [[human rights]] abuses in the mid-1980s.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="NMFAK"/> These included the use of [[torture]], the use of predetermined "[[show trial]]s" to dispose of political prisoners, and widespread [[arbitrary arrest and detention]]. Secret trials and the [[execution]] of prisoners without trial were also common. By 1989 KhAD had arrested nearly 150,000 people (although many were released).<ref name="auto"/>

It was especially active and aggressive in the urban centers, especially in Kabul. Organizations such as [[Amnesty International]] continued to publish detailed reports of KhAD's use of torture and of inhumane conditions in the country's prisons and jails.<ref>''The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World'' By Christopher Andrew, Vasili Mitrokhin. Basic Books, 2005. {{ISBN|0-465-00311-7}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=4eSR1rHg5_YC&pg=PA408&dq=the+world+was+going+our+way+khad+amnesty+international&ei=s05IR5mxLqLstAP48-XUBg&ie=ISO-8859-1&sig=CTWR1iFKbEAnOh3-Xd7PUIL_pWM p. 408]</ref> In 1989, the Special Rapporteur of the [[United Nations Commission on Human Rights]] visited both ''Sedarat'' and ''Shashdarak'', one of many prisons for those arrested by the agency, and found out that the hygienic conditions in these prisons somewhat improved.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Afghanistan - Security Services in Communist Afghanistan (1978-1992). AGSA, KAM, KhAD and WAD |url=https://www.refworld.org/reference/countryrep/nmfa/2001/en/77882 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=Refworld |language=en}}</ref>

KHAD also operated eight detention centers in the capital, which were located at KHAD headquarters, at the Ministry of the Interior headquarters, and at a location known as the Central Interrogation Office. The most notorious of the Communist-run detention centers was [[Pul-e-Charkhi prison]], where 27,000 political prisoners are thought to have been [[Democide|murdered]].<ref>''Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan'' by Robert D. Kaplan. Vintage, 2001. {{ISBN|1-4000-3025-0}} p. 115</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4756480.stm Kabul's prison of death] [[BBC]], 27 February 2006</ref> Recently [[mass grave]]s of executed prisoners have been uncovered dating back to the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] era.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/6274302.stm In pictures: Afghan mass grave] [[BBC]], 5 July 2007</ref>

On 29 February 2000, when The Netherlands had no diplomatic mission in Afghanistan, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a disputed report on the involvement of the KhAD on human rights abuses, partly based on secret sources, allegedly biased political [[sycophants]] from the side of the [[Taliban]] and the Pakistani intelligence agency [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]]. Some of its conclusions were already published in the Dutch press before the official publication of the full report.<ref>in daily newspaper ''Trouw'' on 29 November 1999, p. 3, article by Ruut Verhoeven [http://www.trouw.nl/krantenarchief/1999/11/29/2420591/Afghanistan__niemand_kon_zich_onttrekken_aan_beulswerk.html "Afghanistan: niemand kon zich onttrekken aan beulswerk"]</ref> This report, quoted frequently in the cases of Afghan asylum seekers to support the exclusion ground of article 1F of the [[Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees]] in the national refugee policy of the Netherlands, was also published in an English translation on 26 April 2001.<ref name="NMFAK"/> In 2008, another report on this matter was published by the [[UNHCR]]. In this report, some conclusions of the Dutch report were contested.<ref name="UNHCRR"/>

On 14 October 2005, the District Court in the Hague convicted two high-ranking KhAD officers who sought asylum in the Netherlands in the 1990s. Hesamuddin Hesam and Habibullah Jalalzoy were found guilty of complicity to torture and violations of the laws and customs of war, committed in Afghanistan in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.internationalcrimesdatabase.org/Case/1025/Jalalzoy|title = ICD - Jalalzoy - Asser Institute}}</ref> Hesam was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. He was the head of the military intelligence service (KhAD-e-Nezamy) and deputy minister of the Ministry of State Security (WAD). Jalalzoy was the head of the unit investigations and interrogations within the military intelligence of the KhAD. He was sentenced to 9 years imprisonment.<ref>Rechtbank 's-Gravenhage, parketnummer 09/751005-04, Oktober 14, 2005.</ref>

On 29 January 2007, the Dutch appeal court upheld the sentences.<ref>Gerechtshof 's-Gravenhage, parketnummer 09/751005-04, rolnummer 22-006132-05, and Gerechtshof 's-Gravenhage, parketnummers 09-751004-04 en 09-750006-05, rolnummer 22-006131-05, 29 January 2007.</ref> The judgements were confirmed by the Dutch Supreme Court on 10 July 2008.<ref>More information in English at [http://www.haguejusticeportal.net "The Hague Justice Portal"]</ref>

On 25 June 2007, the District Court in the Hague acquitted another senior KhAD officer. General Abdullah Faqirzada was one of the deputy heads of the KhAD-e-Nezamy from 1980 until 1987. Although the court held it plausible that Faqirzada was closely involved with the human rights abuses in the military branch of the KhAD, it concluded there was no evidence for his individual involvement nor his [[command responsibility]] for the specific crimes the charge was based upon.<ref>Rechtbank 's-Gravenhage, parketnummer 09/750001-06, 25 June 2007.</ref> On 16 July 2009, the Dutch appeal court upheld the acquittal.<ref>Gerechtshof 's-Gravenhage, parketnummer 09/750001-06, rolnummer 22-004581-07, 16 July 2009.</ref>

In a June 2005 report that was published by the [[UNCHR]], it was stated that members of KhAD were not only at risk of reprisals from those who held positions of power in the [[Islamic Republic of Afghanistan]], but also the families of those who were affected by human rights abuses committed by KhAD. 

==Directors of KHAD and its predecessors==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! No.
! Organization
! Director
! Took office
! Left office
! colspan="2"| Political affiliation
|-
| 1
| AGSA
| [[Assadullah Sarwari]]
| April 1978
| September 1979
! rowspan=2 style="background:{{party color|People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan}}" |
| rowspan=2| [[People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan|PDPA]] – [[Khalq]]
|-
| 2
| KAM
| [[Asadullah Amin]]
| September 1979
| December 1979
|-
| 3
| rowspan=2| KhAD
| [[Mohammad Najibullah]]
| 11 January 1980
| 21 November 1985
! rowspan=4 style="background:{{party color|People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan}}" |
| rowspan=4| [[People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan|PDPA]] – [[Parcham]]
|-
| rowspan=2| 4
| rowspan=2| [[Ghulam Faruq Yaqubi]]
| rowspan=2| 6 December 1985
| rowspan=2| 16 April 1992
|-
| rowspan="2" | WAD
|-
| 5
| [[Osman Sultani]]
| 16 April 1992
| 28 April 1992
|}

==Notable people==
* [[Mohammad Najibullah|Dr Mohammad Najibullah Ahmadzai]], President Of The Republic Of Afghanistan from 1987 to 1992
* [[Haneef Atmar]], Founder of the [[Truth and Justice (Afghanistan)|Truth and Justice]] Eurasian Party
* [[Abdul Jabar Qahraman]], defacto ruler of [[Helmand Province|Helmand]] from 1992 to 1993
* KhAD-e-Nezami (Military Intelligence)
** [[Shahnawaz Tanai]], Head of the Agency after the [[Saur Revolution|Communist Coup]]
** Heshamuddin Hesam, Head of the Agency from 1983 to 1991, Convicted of [[War crime|warcrimes]] at the [[Hague]] in 2005
** Habibulla Jalalzoy, Head of the Interrogation Department, Convicted of [[War crime|warcrimes]] at the [[Hague]] in 2005

==In popular culture==
The unreleased 1991 Afghan film "''Agent''" was based around a KhAD operative hunting down a [[Illegal drug trade|Narcotics ring]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harvey |first=Dennis |date=2019-05-03 |title=Film Review: 'What We Left Unfinished' |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/film-review-what-we-left-unfinished-1203194833/ |access-date=2021-05-29 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-05 |title=WHAT WE LEFT UNFINISHED gets a timely US release giving context to the long political struggles of Afghanistan via the story of the rise and fall of Afghan Film studio |url=https://www.moviejawn.com/home/2021/8/5/what-we-left-unfinished-gets-a-timely-us-release-giving-context-to-the-long-political-struggles-of-afghanistan-via-the-story-of-the-rise-and-fall-of-afghan-film-studio |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=Moviejawn |language=en-US}}</ref> In the Russian war movie “''[[Leaving Afghanistan]]''”, the character “Majed” is a KhAD intelligence officer. KhAD is also mentioned in the Russian mini series “''Caravan Hunters''” and the film “''Afganets''.”{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

==See also==
* [[1987 Karachi car bombing|1987 Karachi Car bombing]]
* [[Ojhri Camp disaster]]
* [[Pakistan International Airlines Flight 326]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book|editor-last1=Hänni|editor-first1=Adrian|editor-last2=Riegler|editor-first2=Thomas|editor-last3=Gasztold|editor-first3=Przemyslaw|title=Terrorism in the Cold War: State Support in the West, Middle East and Latin America|date=2020|publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=978-0755600236|location=New York, USA}}
* {{cite book|last1=Landsford|first1=Tom|title=Afghanistan at War: From the 18th-Century Durrani Dynasty to the 21st Century|date=2017|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781598847598|location=USA}}

{{commons category|KHAD}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khad}}
[[Category:Defunct Afghan intelligence agencies]]
[[Category:Collaborators with the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Secret police]]
[[Category:Afghanistan–Soviet Union relations]]