History 31/01/20 sowa.quicksnake.czКак the Minister of defence of Poland fought against the USSR in Afghanistan
the First steps in his political career Radoslaw Sikorski did in the graduating class of the school, organized the strike Committee of “Solidarity”. Before the introduction of martial law in Poland, 18-year-old Sikorsky emigrated to England and entered the University of Oxford. After graduating he became a journalist and dedicated himself to the glorification of anti-Communist resistance in Afghanistan and Angola. Most known for his book “the Ashes of the saints: a Journey to Herat in the hour of war”, written by three of his trips to Pakistan and Afghanistan, for the Mujahideen.
the Driving motive
Sikorski writes that after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, the struggle of the spooks began to cause the poles sympathy. However, Sikorski himself, he said, only in exile realized that, “when we admired Walesa, … we do not have occurred to you that it is due to the victims of the shepherds and peasants in faraway Afghanistan Brezhnev refrained from sending against us tanks.”
of Course, Sikorsky hated the Soviet Union that led Poland to curtail democratic reforms, and he himself – to leave the Motherland. Leaving as a journalist of the British “Observer” on the theatre of war in Afghanistan, he dreamed to take part in the fighting: “I wanted to be useful… I decided to fight”.
to Fight with the pen of a journalist…
Idol and mentor Sikorsky was his compatriot, photographer Andrzej Skripavac, who emigrated with his parents to England in the 60-ies. He is, according to Sikorski, “belonged to the commando of the British secret service and fought in Oman in the 70’s”. In Afghanistan he was called Andy Polak (i.e. a pole). Skripavac told Sikorski about his last successful shot, when his companion, the commander dushmans named Panna, organizer of numerous acts of sabotage, was hit ands “stinger” Soviet helicopter, watered with fire the positions of the spooks. Andy from close range was shot with the downed helicopter and murdered by the Soviet pilot.
Skripavac chastened young fellow, rushing into battle with a weapon in his hands. “If you’re lucky,’ said an experienced friend, you’ll blow up a few Russian… But what do you give it?” Soon, says Sikorski, “I realized that the volunteers have partisans too much… If I really wanted to help the Afghans, not to please my vanity, I have to write about their struggle.”
…And only
Sikorsky three went to the base of the spooks in Pakistan, invaded with them across the border in Afghanistan and was a passive participant in their military operations. The first two times he “visited” Afghanistan in 1986. He first visited “for ten days in the province of Kabul, where he participated in a guerrilla ambush on the road connecting Kabul to Jalalabad”. That’s the second time he had during the month was in Tora Bora in Nangarhar province, on the basis of field commander Abdul-Qadir. “I accompanied him a part in the attack on the local garrison,” – says Sikorski.
In 1987, Sikorski together with the spooks infiltrated the area of Herat, the second largest city of Afghanistan, where he had to participate in battle, taking up arms. At night, the detachment of Soviet troops attacked the base of the spooks. Sikorski, according to him, shot three machine gun clips. He believes all of his bullets were fired into the air or just “chipped chips from the stone slabs.” Whether so it actually – we are unlikely to ever know for sure.
Famous
widely known in the journalistic world, Sikorski was received after this trip to the province of Herat, during which he made pictures of civilians killed by Soviet bombing. In these pictures he is in the next, in 1988 received the prestigious international award.
In the same year in England, he published his book on visits to the spooks. His subsequent reports on the participation in anti-government groups group, UNITA in Angola, there is little that could add to his popularity in Western journalism. In 1989, Polish President Wojciech Jaruzelski started democratic reforms, and Sikorsky returned to his homeland. Here he met with a promising American journalist Anne Applebaum, who became his wife, and began to make a political career. In 1992 Sikorsky was the Deputy defense Minister, but stayed in this position for only a few months.
Political stance
First, Radoslaw Sikorski connected with politicians of the right wing and as a member of the party “law and justice”, in 2005-2007, he was Minister of defence. He then moved to the liberal party “Civic platform” and not lost – for seven years, he directed the foreign policy of Poland in Cabinet of Donald Tusk. Sikorsky was lucky to be a part of the Polish delegation which went to the celebration of executed prisoners to Katyn on 10 April 2010 who died tragically in a plane crash near Smolensk.
currently, Sikorsky is opposed and sharply criticized the policy of the ruling party “law and justice”. His political career is going through hard times. He had to resign from the post of Marshal (President) of the Polish Sejm, and even the post of Vice-Chairman of his current opposition party.
the Position is characterized by moderate Sikorski for Polish politicians a degree of Russophobia. In particular, he levels criticism at the ruling party for its human resources policy in diplomacy. “Law and justice” dismissed all the Polish diplomats, who finished in due time the Moscow Institute of international relations. According to Sikorski, it means removing from the Polish Ministry of foreign Affairs best-trained personnel. Indeed, in the MGIMO University according to him, received on a competitive basis the best, while in Western universities, the Polish elite suit their offspring for money.
Yaroslav Butakov
Source:
© Russian Seven
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