1973 Afghan coup d'état

Overthrow of King Mohammad Zahir Shah of Afghanistan 1973 Afghan coup d'état MoD General Ghulam Haider Khan Rasooli performing Attan with officers on 27 July 1974.jpg Minister of Defense General Rasuli performing Attan with Afghan officers on the first anniversary of the coup 17 July 1973 Kabul, Kingdom of Afghanistan Coup attempt succeeds virtually bloodless Afghanistan 1973 Republican officersFlag of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan.svg PDPA Kingdom of Afghanistan Kingdom of Afghanistan Afghanistan 1973 Mohammad Daoud KhanAfghanistan 1973 Abdul Karim MustaghniAfghanistan 1973 Mohammad Zia MajidFlag of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan.svg Faiz MohammedFlag of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan.svg Abdul Qadir None1 1961–1973 Royal Afghan Army military emblem.png Royal Afghan ArmyAzimi General Nabi https://books.google.com/books?id=M5aSDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT199 The Army and Politics: Afghanistan: 1963-1993 2019-04-11 AuthorHouse 978-1-7283-8701-7 en Flag of the Royal Afghan Guard.svg Royal Guard Brigade 4th Tank Brigade 15th Tank Brigade 717th Civil Disciplinary Unit 88th Heavy Artillery Regiment Afghan Commando Forces ACF 444th Commando 1967.svg 444th Commando Battalion Afghan Air Force 1960 Emblem.png Royal Afghan Air Force 1961–1973 Royal Afghan Army military emblem.png Royal Afghan Army Flag of the Royal Afghan Guard.svg Royal Guard Brigade 7th Infantry Division 8th Infantry Division Afghan Regional Gendarmerie 1 tank destroyed, 4 soldiers killed 7 policemen killed 2,200 military personnel The 1973 Afghan coup d'état,ps د ۲۶ چنگاښ اوښتون Də 26 Cungāx Awəṣ̌tun ps d̪ə ʃpag.wiʃt̪ t͡ʃuŋ.gɑx ʔa.wəʂ.t̪un/ʔa.wəʃ.t̪un/ʔa.wəç.t̪un/ʔa.wəx.t̪un prs گودتای ۲۶ سرطان Kōdatā-yi 26 Saratan prs kʰoː.d̪ä.t̪ʰɑ́ː.jɪ ʃäst̪ ʔʊ d̪uː.jʊ́.mɪ/d̪ʊ.wʊ́.mɪ sä.ɾä.t̪ʰɑ́ːn locally known as the Coup of 26 Saratan, The National Revolutionکودتای ۲۶ سرطان در افغانستان؛ نظام شاهی چگونه سرنگون شد https://tolonews.com/fa/afghanistan-178976 2023-01-17 طلوع‌نیوز fa and self-proclaimed as the Revolution of 26 Saratan 1352,26 Saratan 1352 refers to the day the coup took place in the Solar Hijri calendar, corresponding to 17 July 1973 in the Gregorian calendar. It may also be referred to as its Pashto language equivalent, 26 Čungāx̌ 1352 (د چنګاښ ۲٦-۱۳٥۲).CONTENTdm https://content.library.arizona.edu/digital/collection/p16127coll6/id/36421/ 2023-01-17 content.library.arizona.edu was led by Army General and prince Mohammad Daoud Khan against his cousin, King Mohammad Zahir Shah, on 17 July 1973, which resulted in the establishment of the Republic of Afghanistan under a one-party system led by Daoud Khan.The New York Times Afghan King Overthrown; A Republic Is Proclaimed https://www.nytimes.com/1973/07/18/archives/afghan-king-overthrown-a-republic-is-proclaimed-afghanistan-king-is.html July 18, 1973 May 3, 2020https://books.google.com/books?id=REwmr2bFYfkC&pg=PA55 Afghanistan: The Soviet Invasion in Perspective 9780817982133 Arnold Anthony June 1985 Hoover Press For the coup, Daoud Khan led forces in Kabul along with then-chief of staff General Abdul Karim Mustaghni, to overthrow the monarchy while the King was convalescing abroad in Ischia, Italy. Daoud Khan was assisted by army officers and civil servants from the Parcham faction of the PDPA, including Air Force colonel Abdul Qadir. Daoud also had the support of air force personnel stationed in Kabul International Airport and Bagram Air Base, led by Lieutenant Abdul Hamed Muhtaat and Lieutenant Pachagul Wadafar, although the flying of military aircraft over the city was not called upon.Azimi General Nabi https://books.google.com/books?id=M5aSDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT199 The Army and Politics: Afghanistan: 1963-1993 2019-04-11 AuthorHouse 978-1-7283-8701-7 en Seven loyalist police officers and one tank commander, as well as three members of his tank crew, were killed in what was described at the time by staff from the United States National Security Council as a "well planned and swiftly executed coup". King Zahir Shah decided not to retaliate and he formally abdicated on 24 August, remaining in Italy in exile. More than two centuries of royal rule (since the founding of the Durrani Empire in 1747) ended with the coup.http://countrystudies.us/afghanistan/28.htm Afghanistan - Daoud's Republic, July 1973 - April 1978 countrystudies.us 2018-03-12 Daoud Khan would himself be overthrown and executed by the PDPA in the Saur Revolution of 1978. The coup itself would also kickstart decades of conflict and turmoil in Afghanistan. Background Zahir Shah had ruled as king since 1933, and his cousin Prince Daoud Khan had served as Prime Minister from 1953 to 1963. Daoud Khan had strained relations with the KingEdwards David Before Taliban: Genealogies of the Afghan Jihad 2 April 2002 University of California Press 978-0520228610 https://books.google.com/books?id=biOdjgEO-IcC&q=daud+zahir&pg=PA30 and he was also unable to hold political office after the 1964 constitution, which barred members of the Barakzai dynasty from being involved in politics.Dil Shaheen F The Cabal in Kabul: Great-Power Interaction in Afghanistan American Political Science Review June 1977 71 2 468–476 10.1017/S0003055400267397 Some believe the King did this on purpose because of Daoud Khan's strong pro-Pashtunistan views, which he deemed too radical, and which had led to political rifts with Pakistan. Daoud Khan took advantage of growing public discontent over the failure of reforms by five successive governments since a parliamentary monarchy was formed in 1964, including the King's failure to promulgate the Political Parties Law, Provincial Councils Law, and Municipal Councils Act, all of which had been passed by parliament.https://books.google.com/books?id=yvr_AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA753 Afghanistan 9781400858910 Dupree Louis 14 July 2014 Princeton University Press Another reason was the poor response to the famine in 1971–72 that is believed to have killed thousands in the central and north-western parts of the country, particularly Ghor Province,Jawad Nassim Afghanistan, A Nation of Minorities https://minorityrights.org/wp-content/uploads/old-site-downloads/download-416-Afghanistan-A-Nation-of-Minorities.pdf minorityrights.org February 1902 causing the resignation of Prime Minister Abdul Zahir's government. Around 1972, people were unhappy with the parliament's ineffectiveness and lack of leadership, leading to the growth of various political movements at universities.https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB59/ The Once and Future King? nsarchive2.gwu.edu Daoud Khan's internal disputes with the King have also been cited as a possible reason of his decision to launch a coup.https://www.rferl.org/a/1103837.html Afghanistan: History of 1973 Coup Sheds Light on Relations with Pakistan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 9 April 2008 Synovitz Ron A possible involvement of the Soviet Union in the coup has also been debated. In March 1973, a senior foreign ministry official, Wahid Abdullah, asked the United States Ambassador, Robert G. Neumann, in several conversations how Washington would react if Mohammed Daoud Khan returned to power. In April, Neumann told Wahid Abdullah that although Washington could not comment on Afghan domestic politics, the American attitude towards Afghanistan would be determined by its "policies and actions, in particular toward U.S. interests and towards peace and stability in the region". Neumann thus actually gave Daoud the green light, but in his reply he believed that Daoud would return via an appointment as prime minister. Neumann's superiors were skeptical of this scenario and suggested reminding Abdullah of U.S. support for the Afghan constitution if he resumed contact. Wahid Abdullah did not, however, approach U.S. diplomats afterward. No further U.S. contact with Daoud's camp preceded the coup.Rakove Robert B. 2023 Days of Opportunity: The United States and Afghanistan Before the Soviet Invasion https://books.google.com/books?id=jaaoEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1839 Columbia University Press 978-0-231-55842-6 262–263 Coup Zahir Shah left Afghanistan for London, via Rome, on the morning of June 25, 1973, for hemorrhaging treatment after injuring his eye. After treatment he went back to Italy spending time in the island of Ischia. The 444th Commando Battalion, including Faiz Mohammed and Khushal Peroz, took over the royal residence in the dead of night and Kabul International Airport.General Khoshhal Peroz https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20011008-asdas-760665-2012-06-11 2023-12-23 India Today 11 June 2012 en Daoud Khan, with several hundreds of his supporters from the army launched the coup on the morning of July 17; within hours and without any armed resistance, the monarchy ended and Khan announced the new republic through Radio Afghanistan at 7 in the morning. Staff from the United States National Security Council described it as a "well planned and swiftly executed coup." Seven police officers died at a police station, who engaged the rebels, whom they considered a hostile force, Habibullah Khan Zurmatai, a tank commander of the Royal Afghan Army's 4th Armoured Brigade and his tank crew who all drowned in the Kabul River between Ibn Sina Hospital and Artal Bridge after swerving off the road, trying to avoid colliding with a bus.Azimi General Nabi https://books.google.com/books?id=M5aSDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT199 The Army and Politics: Afghanistan: 1963-1993 2019-04-11 AuthorHouse 978-1-7283-8701-7 en Habibullah Khan Zurmatai, along with his tank crew, were additional participants of the coup, leading the tanks of the Royal Afghan Guard. Other tanks that took part in the coup belonged to the Afghan Army's parachutist battalions.Azimi General Nabi https://books.google.com/books?id=M5aSDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT199 The Army and Politics: Afghanistan: 1963-1993 2019-04-11 AuthorHouse 978-1-7283-8701-7 en Aftermath Despite being part of the Musahiban Barakzai dynasty, Daoud Khan abolished the monarchy and replaced it with a new republic instead, declaring himself as head of state and head of government, foreign minister and head of the Army. The royal Arg (palace) in Kabul became the official presidential residence.Barfield Thomas Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History (Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics) March 25, 2012 Princeton University Press 978-0691154411 https://books.google.com/books?id=fqRFCkpTdUcC&q=Zahir+Shah+Italy In a radio address, he called the coup a "national and progressive revolution", calling the King's rule "corrupt and effete" and vowed to replace it with "genuine democracy". He pledged to continue Afghanistan's long-standing policy of neutrality. After the coup's success, residents of Kabul began placing flowers and wreathes onto the soldiers who participated in the coup, including tanks, rifles, armoured vehicles and cars. Children reportedly stood on top of the armoured vehicles used in the coup, alongside their crews and other soldiers. The coup participants were even offered free goods and products from shopkeepers in the city, and as for its citizens, cinemas provided free tickets while taxis and buses carried passengers to their destinations free of charge. Additionally, the upper class residents of Kabul celebrated the success of the coup with alcoholic beverages.Azimi General Nabi https://books.google.com/books?id=M5aSDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT199 The Army and Politics: Afghanistan: 1963-1993 2019-04-11 AuthorHouse 978-1-7283-8701-7 en The Soviet Union and India diplomatically recognized the new government on July 19.https://books.google.com/books?id=Kzjj_LSlxO8C&pg=PR45 The a to Z of Afghan Wars, Revolutions and Insurgencies 9781461731894 Adamec Ludwig W. 7 April 2010 Scarecrow Press On July 21, the government was recognized by West Germany, Mongolia, and Czechoslovakia. I think all those compatriots most sincerely who have welcomed the establishment of the Republican regime throughout the country in the unprecedented and heartfelt manner and want to see me. It is my heartfelt desire to see all of them, but because of being very busy this possibility does not exist at present. I hope I will be able to see you all personally at a suitable time Excerpt from the New Kabul Times, July 21, 1973, words from Daoud Khan after the coupCONTENTdm https://content.library.arizona.edu/digital/collection/p16127coll6/id/30503/rec/1 2024-01-02 content.library.arizona.edu Daoud Khan's links to Marxism, and the Parchamite support in his military coup, led to some suspecting it as being a communist takeover. In order to prevent opposition, he assured continuity of religious and cultural heritage, as demonstrated in the Republican Decrees created in July 1973.https://books.google.com/books?id=ksC-BL2WivUC&q=republican+coup+1973+afghanistan&pg=PA51 Law in Afghanistan: A Study of the Constitutions, Matrimonial Law and the Judiciary 9004071288 Kamali Mohammad Hashim January 1985 BRILL Upon coming to power, Daoud Khan disbanded the parliament and the judiciary, with direct executive rule established. Additionally, the Afghan Army was also referred to as the "Afghan Republican Army" in the 12th volume of a Kabul Times newspaper, published a few days after the coup. 1973-07-21 India, Czechoslovakia, FRG, Mongolia and GDR recognise Republic of Afghanistan. Kabul Times. (Kabul, Afghanistan), Volume 12; Number 97 https://content.library.arizona.edu/digital/api/collection/p16127coll6/id/30507/page/0/inline/p16127coll6_30507_0 Despite his socialist views, Daoud did not bring drastic change to the economic system and maintained connections with the Cold War superpowers.https://www.jstor.org/stable/2643235 2643235 Mukerjee Dilip Afghanistan under Daud: Relations with Neighboring States Asian Survey 1975 15 4 301–312 10.2307/2643235 subscription Only a month later, in July 1973, the Muslim Youth Organisation attempted to overthrow the Republican government. After failing, the group fled to Pakistan seeking sanctuary, where the Pakistani government accepted them and provided military training for Afghan exiles and their followers.Caldwell Dan https://books.google.com/books?id=QifgYV59DK0C Vortex of Conflict: U.S. Policy Toward Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq 2011-02-17 Stanford University Press 978-0-8047-7749-0 en A loya jirga was convened following the Constitutional Assembly election in January 1977, and approved a new constitution creating a presidential one-party state, with strong powers to the head of state. Daoud started re-approaching the United States and Pakistan,https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft7b69p12h;chunk.id=0;doc.view=print Afghanistan 2021-08-04 2023-01-21 https://web.archive.org/web/20230121200011/https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft7b69p12h;chunk.id=0;doc.view=print dead which contributed to the deterioration of his relations with the Soviet Union and the PDPA communists. Eventually he was overthrown and killed during the Saur Revolution in 1978, including by several high-ranking civilian and military officials who helped him to obtain power in 1973. See also Saur Revolution Notes References Category:1973 in Afghanistan Category:1973 in politics Category:1973 conflicts Category:July 1973 in Asia Category:1970s revolutions Category:1970s coups d'état Category:Coups d'état in Afghanistan Category:Afghanistan–Pakistan conflict