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According to V. Tutkus, twenty years ago, as a candidate for NATO membership, Lithuania was not obliged to participate in the international counterterrorism operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, but after consulting with then-president Algirdas Brazauskas and Linas Linkevičius, State in 2001 September 11 suffered the largest terrorist attack in its history, killing or injuring thousands of people.
“Apparently, about fifty soldiers from special units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces were sent on the first mission in Afghanistan. They called themselves the Eagle Platoon 1. This name is not accidental. It was then decided that Valeriy Sherel, Head of State Major of the Jaeger Battalion, he would also go to Afghanistan.
When we were thinking of naming a group of Lithuanian soldiers going to Afghanistan, I got the last name Sherel. After erasing the letter Š, the word “eagle” remained, and in English – “eagle”, that’s what we call our squad, “recalled V.Tutkus.
– How did the Lithuanians sent to Afghanistan prepare 20 years ago?
– The preparatory exercise lasted several months.
The soldiers were trained by American officers. It is true that few NATO members initially participated in the US counterterrorism operation Enduring Freedom.
But among them was Lithuania, which is still seeking membership in the Alliance.
– Weren’t the Lithuanians afraid to go to Afghanistan? After all, in the days of the former USSR, the war in this country was called a trip home in a zinc coffin.
– What are you going to! Many people just rushed. There was more motivation than necessary and the men of the Lithuanian Special Forces in Afghanistan were highly valued from the early days. They soon enlisted in the US Special Forces.
I think in Lithuania in 2002. When the President of the United States, George W. Bush, visited him in the late 19th century and said that the enemy of Lithuania would also become the enemy of the United States, he undoubtedly knew the skills and the determination of the soldiers of our country.
– From a twenty-year perspective, what is the purpose of the US counterterrorism operation in Afghanistan? Take revenge on the Taliban for the bloody attacks in New York and other parts of the country?
– In September 2001, as a seasoned military man, it became quite clear to me that the United States and NATO had a duty to retaliate against terrorists for such a brutal attack.
I have no doubt that criminal action was required. But after that, I think it would have been wise to leave Afghanistan.
However, after the military operation, it was decided to begin to democratize Afghanistan as a state.
Whether this was really necessary is a great question.
– But were the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan even twenty years old?
– Apparently, those politicians, who were advised by high-ranking military personnel who know the situation in Afghanistan, did not enter much into the structure of this country.
After all, it is impossible to suddenly jump from a feudal state to a democratic one.
As L. Linkevičius once correctly answered the question, what is the time difference between Lithuania and Afghanistan? “An hour and a half and a few hundred more years.”
– What was the task of the Lithuanian soldiers and soldiers in Afghanistan after the appearance of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Ghowr province?
– Basically, the representatives of our country did not have a purpose and tasks to participate in military actions or operations.
We care about protecting the civilian population from terrorist attacks.
During the entire stay of the Lithuanian representatives in Afghanistan, only one soldier died.
In 2008, Sergeant Arūnas Jarmalavičius of Alytus, 34, was shot and killed during the riots.
The crowd rebelling against the Lithuanian PRT was unarmed and that shot at A. Jarmalavičius was described as accidental. But it was very accurate.
It was probably a provocation in the hope that the Lithuanian representatives would start the battle. And now I am glad that the then commander of the PRT did not undertake a military action that would undoubtedly turn into a serious battle.
– From 1983 to 1985, he was the commander of the USSR Motorized Rifle Company in Afghanistan. Why did the former Soviet empire invade this Muslim country?
– Official version – The Communist Party of Afghanistan, unable to control the situation in the country, turned to the Communist Party of the USSR for help. At first, the Soviets promised to help, but without military force.
However, things were quite different, in 1979. On December 24, USSR units invaded Afghanistan to defend legitimate governments.
December 27, the then leader of the country, Hafizullah Amin, and the same day the Afghan communist leader Babrak Karmal, who arrived with the USSR army, were declared president of Afghanistan.
– You have heard that you have encouraged your troops in Afghanistan by unusual means.
– Often the real events are surrounded by almost legends.
In Afghanistan in 1983. I found myself at the age of only 22, I had just graduated from the then Tashkent High School for Infantry Commanders.
While driving, I thought that peaceful people really needed help and that it would be possible to help them in the fight against terrorists. But when I went to Afghanistan, I realized that I would have to participate in a real war.
I’m not ashamed to admit that one day I had to experience what it means to be shot by live bullets. He had an inhuman fear. Also, just a few days ago I was appointed commander of the company.
I knew very well that if my soldiers saw that I was afraid of gunfire, no one would believe me as a commander. Therefore, while the bullets rang out, I ran back and forth through the trenches several times.
Only the movies show that it is possible to easily shoot a fleeing person. The reality is very different.
I thought my march against the backdrop of bullets would leave an inspiring impression on the soldiers, but the bullet overwhelmed me more than when I saw two of my subordinates calmly cross the can.
They were only a year or two older than me then.
“You are, of course, a cool guy. But instead of running under the bullets, will you think and tell us what to do? And then we will eat, ”I remembered this lesson all my life.
– Isn’t this lesson an indication that in twenty years both NATO and the United States have had to figure out how to successfully complete their operation in Afghanistan?
– Without objective information, you could not judge why the United States did not realize it before withdrawing from Afghanistan.
I have no doubt about the competence of the American generals.
In general, I don’t know of a general who started a war on his own initiative, because hardly anyone understands the meaning and importance of peace better than the military.
I believe that if the goal was to lead Afghanistan towards democracy, it would have required the country’s clergy to be trained accordingly.
I remember being ordered to meet with one of the Mujahideen commanders when he and his soldiers realized that they no longer had the strength to fight the Soviet forces. So they wisely decided to form a unit to support the communist B. Kalalis and his government.
When I went to those negotiations, I thought that I would not walk away alive.
The only hope was that they wouldn’t deprive me of a weapon. Consequently, I would have had at least few opportunities to defend myself.
Across from me sat a leader with unpredictable eyes, considered a holy mule. He asked me in fairly correct Russian: “Are you okay?”
I had no choice. Then, for the first time in my life, I tried the real French cognac.
Mula promised me after many glasses of brandy that he would go to B.Karmalis with his soldiers and how loyal the dogs would help fight local groups.
That was the case.
– Let’s go back to these days. Why do you think the Afghan army, which is well trained and armed with modern weapons, did not uphold democratic values as if it were a confessional government and actually surrendered to the Taliban?
– Because he did not want to defend the official government of the country.
Allah is apparently more important to her than democracy. I was very afraid of dying during my first battle in Afghanistan, and the Mujahideen are not afraid of that. They don’t wait for tomorrow and they don’t know what it means to forgive.
– Is it not the case now that, with the withdrawal of the Afghan army, the Taliban will take revenge on the Taliban?
– Since the Koran strictly prohibits drug use, I have no doubt that the Taliban will take all measures to prevent drug trafficking from Afghanistan.
On the other hand, it must not be forgotten that there is no Afghan nation.
Pashtuns, Uzbeks, Karzai and Kazakhs live in Afghanistan. They have been competing with each other since time immemorial. I have no doubt that disagreements will start between them.
Therefore, now you should not look for winners or losers.
In my opinion, it would be prudent for the European Union to recognize the Taliban government.
Negotiations would begin on certain issues.
And talking to Muslims is possible, you just need to understand the peculiarities of their thinking. After all, there is simply no other way at the moment. Perhaps, with some reservations, the Taliban would also be recognized by the United States?
Such negotiations are not to be feared. After all, starting negotiations on certain things does not mean that we have to make irrevocable decisions tomorrow morning.
Sometimes negotiations last for years. You see, the situation and your evaluations will change over time.
– Do you think that Lithuania will not receive the “reminder” from the Taliban that Lithuanian soldiers also participated in the democratization processes in Afghanistan?
“As popular wisdom says, ‘The East is a delicate matter.’
In the last few days they have already heard that they are ready to negotiate.
The Taliban will definitely have to talk to the EU, the US and NATO, countries like Lithuania, I don’t think they care much.
– The United States is criticized for not leaving Afghanistan as it should have been. What do you think, as a soldier, of this operation?
– In my head, first of all, it was necessary to take care of extremely vulnerable people: diplomats, translators, other people who have worked alongside the United States or its allies during those twenty years.
I think that in the future, the fate of some of these people will have to be expressed sincerely.
Lithuania also did not help the people who assisted him in Ghowr province in time.
In addition, the US military equipment was left behind, apparently the new Afghan army. But after all, it was turned over to the Taliban.
Consequently, they will use that modern technique.
I guess American politicians didn’t listen much to what the seasoned military was advising.
But it is the generals, not the politicians, who are to blame for the war.
