SUMMARY

The Military faction (forces of Shahnawaz Tanay) formed in 1990 with the objective of removing ruling President Najibullah of the Government of Afghanistan from power. It carried out an unsuccessful coup between 6 and 8 March 1990. The assault was launched by rebel-held airplanes that bombed the presidential palace and the capital’s media station. Army units loyal to Najibullah immediately responded by attacking the defense ministry, and heavy fighting spread to other parts of Kabul as well.

Leader of the group, Lt. Gen. Shahnawaz Tanay was an ethnic Pashtun and head of the Khalq faction of the PDPA. While PDPA was the ruling party of the Government of Afghanistan, it was the separate Parcham faction of the party that had been dominant for several years, with ruling President Najibullah heading it. At the time of the coup, Shahnawaz Tanay had been serving as Defense Minister since 1988, prior to which, he had held several military positions including Chief of the Army staff. Following the coup attempt, Tanay was dismissed from his ministerial position. He later went on to form the political party “Afghanistan Peace Movement”, of which he was the leader of as of 2011.

Tanay was accused of having a number of accomplices in the coup attempt. Supporters of the Military faction (forces of Shahnawaz Tanay) included prominent Khalq faction members of the Politburo, who were subsequently imprisoned. The coup was also supported by Hizb-i Islami-yi Afghanistan. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, mujahideen leader of Hizb-i Islami-yi Afghanistan publicly stated his support for the coup attempt at a press conference in Islamabad on 6 March 1990 and provided assistance with the planning as well as forces for the coup.