Editing Hafizullah Amin (section)

==The Saur Revolution and Rise to Power==
Amin’s prominence grew as the PDPA gained traction amid Afghanistan’s political instability. With Amin's ties to the CIA, he was suspected as playing a role when in 1973, Mohammad Daoud Khan overthrew the monarchy, establishing a republic, but his slow pace of reform alienated the PDPA. Amin, who had become a leading figure in the Khalq faction’s military wing, orchestrated the Saur Revolution on April 27, 1978, a coup that toppled Daoud’s government. The PDPA seized power, establishing the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, with Taraki as president and prime minister and Amin as deputy prime minister.

As a Khalqist strongman, Amin spearheaded efforts to purge the rival Parcham faction from government, sidelining figures like Karmal. The PDPA implemented sweeping reforms, including land redistribution and secularization, which alienated Afghanistan’s conservative, Islamic society and disrupted the opium production which was a cash cow for the CIA. These policies sparked widespread unrest, particularly among rural tribes and religious leaders, fueling the rise of Mujahideen resistance groups supported by the CIA. The Soviets advised Taraki to recruit mullahs and soften anti-Islamic policies (Coll, 2004, p. 46). Taraki sought Soviet troops to quell the rebels, but Moscow refused, wary of escalating tensions with the West (Cockburn, 1998, p. 263).


Amin’s power grew despite internal party tensions. On March 27, 1979, he assumed the role of prime minister, while Taraki retained the presidency. However, the country descended into chaos as protests against the regime’s reforms intensified, and the Afghan military weakened due to desertions, dropping from 100,000 to 50,000–70,000 personnel. Amin’s brutal methods, including mass executions and forced disappearances, earned him a fearsome reputation. Over 7,000 Hazaras and thousands of others were killed or vanished under his watch, deepening ethnic and social divides.