grounds that he was a Taraki-sympathizer. Aslam Watanjar joined forces with Sarwari, Gulabzoy and others Khalqis in a plot against then Prime Minister Hafizullah Amin. Except for Sarwari, who was from the province of Ghazni, the others were from Paktia. They had influence with the army, which was officered by a considerable number of persons from Paktia. Until their break with Amin, Sarwari was head of the Intelligence Department (AGSA), while the others were cabinet ministers. At first close friends of Amin, they later turned against him, siding with President Nur Mohammad Taraki in opposition to Amin. When Amin overcame them, they took refuge in the Soviet embassy along with Sarwari and Gulabzoy. Part of the Parchami Government The presence in Soviet Red Army of Sarwari, Watanjar, and Gulabzoy might have influenced the officers not to respond the invasion. Along with them, he served as a guide for the Soviets. After the invasion he was promoted to membership in the central committee and the Revolutionary Council and was appointed Minister of Communications. In June 1981 he was added to the Politburo. Later he served successively as Minister of Defense and again of the Interior. He also headed the official Afghan delegation to Baikonur, in his position of communications minister and member of its ruling Politburo. On March 6, 1990, General Watanjar intercepted a tank battalion of Shahnawaz Tanai during Tanai's coup attempt, which eventually failed. Watanjar was awarded a four-star rank by President Najibullah and he also became Secretary of Defense. After the fall of Kabul and the collapse of President Najibullah's government, he left the country. Later life and death On 24 November 2000, Watanjar died of cancer while in exile, in the Ukrainian city of Odessa. He was 56. References 1946 births 2000 deaths Pashtun people Communist rulers of Afghanistan Collaborators with the Soviet Union Afghan military personnel People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan politicians Deaths from cancer in Ukraine Afghan military officers Communication ministers of Afghanistan Defence ministers of Afghanistan Interior ministers of Afghanistan