Afghan President Taraki Assassinated by His Own Deputy
Hafizullah Amin invited Nur Muhammad Taraki to a meeting at the presidential palace in Kabul on September 14, 1979. Taraki came. He didn't leave. Amin had him smothered with a pillow, then announced the president had died of a 'serious illness.' Amin lasted exactly 98 days as president before the KGB and Soviet special forces killed him in turn. The Soviets who'd greenlit Taraki's removal then decided Amin was uncontrollable and invaded Afghanistan. One palace murder triggered a war that lasted decades.
September 14, 1979
47 years ago
Key Figures & Places
President of Afghanistan
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Hafizullah Amin
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Nur Muhammad Taraki
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List of heads of state of Afghanistan
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Nur Muhammad Taraki
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Hafizullah Amin
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People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan
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President of Afghanistan
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Afghanistan
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