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Afghanistan Liberation Organization

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Afghanistan Liberation Organization
سازمان رهایی افغانستان
AbbreviationALO
FounderFaiz Ahmad
Founded1973 (1973)
Preceded byProgressive Youth Organization
Ideology
Political positionFar-left
Party flag
Website
http://rehayi.org/alo/

Afghanistan Liberation Organization (ALO; Persian: سازمان رهایی افغانستان, romanizedSāzmān-e Rehāyī-ye Āfġānistān) is a Maoist political group in Afghanistan. It was founded by Faiz Ahmad and some others in 1973. ALO, which was originally named Revolutionary Group of the Peoples of Afghanistan (RGPA; Persian: گروه انقلابی خلقهای افغانستان, romanizedGurūh-e ʾInḳilābī-ye Ḫalḳhāy-e Āfġānistān);[1] and was renamed to ALO in 1980, is one of several organizations that grew out of the Shola-e Javid (Persian: شعلهٔ جاوید, romanizedŠoʿle-ye Jāvid, lit.'Eternal Flame') movement.

History

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On April 27, 1978, military officers loyal to the PDPA launched an uprising on the orders of Hafizullah Amin in what would become known as the Saur Revolution. Despite bringing the Communist Khalqists into power, many smaller socialist groups rejected the Khalqists' rule for various reasons from the Pashtun hegemony of the new government,[2] mistreatment of ethnic minorities,[3] and their Soviet influence. On August 5, 1979, a united front of anti-Khalqist Marxists (including the ALO) and moderate Islamists attempted a uprising in southern Kabul. The uprising lasted 5 hours and was brutally crushed by the Khalqist government's MiG aircraft, artillery and tanks[4][5]

It was highly critical of the Soviet–Afghan War and actively fought against what it considered social imperialism. In June 1979, RGPA convened the Mujahedin Freedom Fighters Front of Afghanistan together with Islamist elements, as a united front against the pro-Soviet government. Along with some other Islamist groups, RGPA directed a rebellion in Kabul and other cities on 5 August 1979, that became known as the Bala Hissar uprising. The uprising was suppressed by the government and tens of ALO cadres were killed and arrested. Some of the central committee members like Mohammad Mohsin, Mohammad Dawod and others were executed in the Pul-e-Charkhi prison.

ALO had many fronts against the Soviets and pro-Soviet Afghan communists in different parts of Afghanistan and was attacked by both the Soviet forces and the fundamentalist groups of Mujahideen. They lost over 120 cadres during the war.[6][non-primary source needed]

Faiz Ahmad himself was assassinated on 12 November 1986, along with 6 other comrades, by the Hizb-e Islami militia of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

The organization still exists as of 2024.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Emadi, Hafizullah (1 January 2001). Politics of the Dispossessed: Superpowers and Developments in the Middle East. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 34. ISBN 9780275973650.
  2. ^ Byrne, Malcolm; Zubok, Vladislav. "The Intervention in Afghanistan and the Fall of Detente, A Chronology" (PDF). nsarchive2.gwu.edu.
  3. ^ "Flashback to 1979: A massacre of unarmed civilians in an uprising « RAWA News". www.rawa.org. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  4. ^ Revolution Unending: Afghanistan, 1979 to the Present by Gilles Dorronsoro, 2005.
  5. ^ War in Afghanistan by K J Baker, 2011.
  6. ^ "Martyred Cadres of the Afghanistan Liberation Organization (ALO)". a-l-o.maoism.ru. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Where is Afghanistan headed to?" (PDF). maoism.ru. June 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
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