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Abdul Haq
Monday
October 29, 2001
When he fought off the Soviets in Afghanistan, Abdul Haq was a self-made military genius. “Extra” has obtained an exclusive interview with Haq, who had become America's hope against the Taliban. That is, until Haq was executed last week.
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Martyn Burke met Haq on a tour of Afghanistan in 1988, when he worked for Canadian television. He says, “Abdul Haq was an amazing character. He was a charismatic leader.”
Burke has since become a big Hollywood director, working with Sylvester Stallone on the new film "Avenging Angelo." But back when Burke shared a cave with rebel warriors, their weapons hanging over their heads, he remembers the extreme bravery of Abdul Haq. Burke says, “He went inside Afghanistan and blew up a Soviet munitions dump in Kabul in 1987. A risky thing that almost blew up the entire city.”
When Burke met Haq, the stubborn warrior had just lost a foot in a landmine. Burke says, “He was hobbling around and he was in a lot of pain, but as he said in the interview, he said, ‘It's not going to stop me. I’m going to go back.’”
The U.S. had hoped Haq could unify Afghanistan once the Taliban fell. The irony is he was killed by the very group, the U.S. once backed against the soviets. Burke says, “There's a thing in espionage circles called ‘blowback.’ You make a decision, you fund one group, but then years later you find that group has turned against you. That's what's happened here.”
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