"Abdul Haq, we are with you"

"There's much more to do. Throughout the world the Soviet Union and its
agents, client states, and satellites are on the defensive-on the moral
defensive, the intellectual defensive, and the political and economic
defensive. Freedom movements arise and assert themselves. They're doing so
on almost every continent populated by man-in the hills of Afghanistan, in
Angola, in Kampuchea, in Central America. In making mention of freedom
fighters, all of us are privileged to have in our midst tonight one of the
brave commanders who lead the Afghan freedom fighters-Abdul Haq. Abdul Haq,
we are with you."

Ronald Reagan, "Creators of the Future" speech, March 8, 1985

-----

The Guardian (London), March 5, 1986 

Thatcher to meet Afghan guerrilla / British Premier to hold talks with
Abdul Haq 

By JONATHAN STEELE 

The Prime Minister is to see an Afghan rebel leader whose group takes
credit for planting a bomb at Kabul airport which killed a dozen civilians. 

Abdul Haq, the field commander in the Kabul region for one of the most
active guerrilla groups, is in Britain as a guest of the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office. 

Although Afghan resistance leaders have previously visited Britain at the
Government's expense, this is the first time a battlefield commander has
been invited. Mr Haq, who is in his 20s, confirmed yesterday that he
ordered the planting of a bomb at Kabul airport in September, 1984, in
which at least 28 people are reported to have died. Many of them were
relatives of students preparing to fly to the Soviet Union, while about 15
were reportedly military officers. Mrs Thatcher has always refused to meet
leaders of the African National Congress, the Palestine Liberation
Organisation, or other guerrilla movements on the grounds that they must
first renounce violence. A Downing Street spokesman said yesterday: 'The
Afghans don't see themselves as revolutionaries. They're only trying to
resist an invader and win back their freedom.' 

'The Prime Minister has a degree of sympathy with the Afghan cause inasmuch
as they're trying to rid their country of invaders, which you cannot say of
the ANC and PLO,' he added. 

Mr Haq said the purpose of the airport bombing was 'to warn people not to
send their children to the Soviet Union.' He also defended the firing of
long-range rockets at Kabul which have also hit civilians. 'I have to free
my country. My advice to people is not to stay close to the government. If
you do, it's your fault. We use poor rockets; we cannot control them. They
sometimes miss. I don't care about people who live close to the Soviet
Embassy, I feel sorry for them, but what can do?' he said.


Louis Proyect
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