On 1 April 1988, two weeks before the Geneva Accords were enacted, a meeting was held of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, outlining scenarios for the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan – scenarios which took into consideration the official signing of the accords, as well as the refusal of the United States and Pakistan to sign. A record of the meeting was drafted and dispatched to Mikhail Gorbachev, as well as a number of the participants, in a Top Secret “Special Packet” memorandum. The translation of this memorandum is provided below.
TOP SECRET
SPECIAL PACKET
No. 114/P
To comrades Gorbachev, Chebrikov, Shevardnadze, Yazov, and Dobrynin
Abstract from Record No. 114 of the meeting of the Politburo of the CC CPSU from 1 April 1988
On the Plan to withdraw Soviet troops from Afghanistan
For concurrence with recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Politburo commission on Afghanistan on options for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan both on the signing of the Geneva Accords, and in the event of Pakistan and the US refusing the same, taking into account an exchange of views in the Politburo. (Record attached).
SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
[Attachment] to Paragraph P of Record No. 114
Top Secret
CC CPSU
On the Plan to withdraw Soviet troops from Afghanistan
In pursuance of the resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU dated 3 March 1988 (P109/IV) this Plan to withdraw Soviet troops from Afghanistan is presented for approval, as drafted by the Ministry of Defense of the USSR and the Committee for State Security of the USSR, together with the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other agencies. The total number of returning troops is more than 109 thousand men (of those, some 8200 border troops), 513 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, and approximately 30 thousand pieces of combat hardware and vehicles. This Plan establishes the procedures and sequence of the troop withdrawal.
The withdrawal of Soviet troops from the territory of Afghanistan is planned to be carried out based on two options. Its start is to be determined based on the results of negotiations in Geneva, and it is to be completed by 15 February 1989.
If documents to settle the Afghan problem will be signed in Geneva (option 1), Soviet formations and units are to be withdrawn in two stages over 9 months. The date of the start of the withdrawal in this case could be kept as 15 May 1988.
In the first stage, from 15 May to 15 August, formations and units are to be withdrawn from the majority of the country’s areas, leaving them in Kabul to ensure the security of the government of M. Najibullah and to protect the main thoroughfare from Kabul to Termez. Border troop units in this will remain in full in northern Afghanistan.
At the second stage (15 August 1988 – 15 February 1989) over the course of the first three months, no Soviet troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan. Their return to the territory of the USSR will commence from the middle of November 1988 through 15 February 1989. Border troop units will be withdrawn from 1 to 15 February 1989. This will make it possible for us to maintain the formations and units of the 40th Army in and around Kabul until the second half of December 1988, and depart beyond the Hindu Kush by mid-January 1989. The full withdrawal of Soviet troops will be complete on 15 February 1989.
If negotiations in Geneva fall through (option 2), Soviet troops will be withdrawn over 7 to 7.5 months in three stages, beginning their return to the territory of the USSR beginning the second half of June. As such, during the visit of US President Ronald Reagan to Moscow, our troop withdrawal will not have begun, and the additional time will be used to strengthen the positions of the NDPA [People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan] and the government of M. Najibullah.
In the second option, during the first stage from late June to 31 July, Soviet formations and units can only be withdrawn from the provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, and Badakhshan, prolonging the time frame of the Soviet troops’ stay in key areas of the country such as Kandahar, Herat, Gardez, and Ghazni.
In the second stage, from 1 August to 30 September 1988, the withdrawal of Soviet troops is to take place from the majority of the country’s regions, leaving them in Kabul, and to provide protection for the main thoroughfare of Kabul to Termez, border troop units will remain in northern Afghanistan.
At the third stage (1 October 1988 to 15 February 1989), all remaining troops are to gradually be withdrawn from Afghanistan.
The troop withdrawal is planned to take place over through routes through the border crossings at Kushka, Termez, and Shir Khan. In this case, all troops deployed west of the Kandahar region are withdrawn through the Kushka border crossing, and those deployed east and northeast of Kandahar, through Termez and Shir Khan. In the interest securing the withdrawal of formations and units, during the withdrawal period, air cover of lanes of communication will be intensified, additional frontier posts will be established, and day and night encampment sites will be prepared and protected. In the event of possible enemy attack, the troops will be constantly prepared to conduct combat operations to repel them along all of the troop withdrawal routes. During this time, the border troops continue providing security at the national border from the Afghanistan side and withdraw along the shortest route to USSR territory at the final stage.
Preparations for formations and units of the 40th Army is to be done immediately before the return of troops to the USSR and completed 10 days before the beginning of the withdrawal of said formations and units. During this time, the following is planned: amassing of formations and units at their deployment sites, preparing them for the march movement, preparing for the handover to the Afghans of ammunition supplies, materiel, certain weapons, fortifications, airfields, and military posts, and the handover itself. Ensuring the creation of a three-month supply of all types of materiel, including fuel, in the Afghan formations, units, and specific first-priority garrisons is to be performed by 15 May, and for all other Afghani troops, through September-December 1988.
After crossing the border, the troops will be concentrated in temporarily prepared areas, where administrative arrangements will be carried out. A number of formations and units (of those withdrawing) specially formed for entering Afghanistan will be disbanded, others will be brought to reduced strength and staff. Airborne landing troops, airborne assault troops, and Spetsnaz and Air Force units will primarily be maintained at their current numerical strength. The arrangements will result in approximately 74 thousand personnel withdrawing, 40 thousand of which will be removed from the Armed Forces quota, and 34 thousand are to reinforce the Navy and other manpower and resources.
After withdrawal to Soviet territory, the border forces will strengthen border detachments protecting the border with Afghanistan, and deployed to the most hazardous areas to ensure the security of the Soviet territory and border.
Procedures for withdrawing military advisors and specialists from Afghanistan will be determined after a comprehensive examination of the situation and consultations with the Afghan leadership.
The USSR Ministry of Defense and Committee for State Security are creating three task forces to oversee the preparations for and command and control of the troop withdrawal: the first is in the Kushka area, the second, in the Termez area, and the third in Shir Khan.
Troops will be ready for the withdrawal on 10 May 1988. The beginning of the withdrawal (specific date) could be established later, depending on the evolving situation.
Direct management and performance of the troop withdrawal is conferred upon the commander and staff of the Turkestan Military District and Troop Directorate of the Central Asian Border District of the KGB.
E. Shevardnadze
V. Chebrikov
A. Dobrynin
V. Kamentsev
1 April 1988
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