Chapter 11 Weapon Vendor
Relying on his past work connections, Valentin quickly got a ticket to Kabul. As for how to get the needle missile he wanted, Valentin didn't have a careful plan. He intends to wait until Afghanistan to consider these issues.
When Valentin was still in the KGB, he had access to a lot of intelligence that the old white surnames in the country could not. He knows that in Afghanistan, the fighting spirit of the Soviet Red Army has been exhausted. As early as a few years ago, the first Turkmenistan troops that participated in the war had a large-scale private escape, so the Ministry of National Defense had to be transferred from the Republic of Russia and the Republic of Ukraine. Politically reliable troops go to war.
Due to the unfavorable battle, the soldiers on the front line gradually became restless, the discipline of the army began to loosen, and the fighting spirit began to lose. What's more, some soldiers of the Soviet Red Army defected to Pakistan or even armed with the jihadist Masood, turning their guns and attacking their compatriots.
Valentin's plane needed to transit in Almaty, and when he landed in Kabul, it was already the morning of the third day. Valentin knew that he could not get what he needed in Kabul. One was because the management of the troops here was stricter. The other was that there was a special large-scale air defense system with powerful firepower. Iranian and Pakistani planes did not dare to come. Here comes the wild.
Valentin's destination is located in the Kandahar area close to the Pakistani border, where there are Pakistani or American planes patrolling the border from time to time, and occasionally weapons such as armed helicopters or A-10 attack aircraft attack the local Mujahideen fighters provided air support. Therefore, in the hands of the Soviet Red Army troops stationed nearby, a large number of individual air defense missiles that can deal with these aircraft are equipped. Although Valentin has no reliable relationship with the local troops, he firmly believes that the soldiers on the front line will not be uninterested in the green dollars.
The most dangerous part of the journey in Afghanistan is the transportation and supply line from Dushanbe, Tajikistan to Kabul. Since the outbreak of the Afghan war, the Soviet Red Army has tried to open up this transportation artery, but until now most of the supplies of the Soviet army still rely on aircraft to maintain. The reason is that this major transportation artery passes through the famous Panjshir Valley, where the troops of the jihadist leader Masood are entrenched. The safety situation on the road from Kabul to Kandahar is much better. It is an open plain, and Soviet armored forces can easily deploy and guard nearby.
After a few days in Kabul, Valentin bought a second-hand car and hired a local Russian-speaking guide for a fortune. In order to minimize the risk, Valentin also changed into a local robe.
After Valentin asked the guide to help purchase everything needed on the road, he immediately set off to the southwest along the official business.
Valentin put all his money in the driver's seat. He didn't dare to sleep soundly along the way, and would rest in the car for a while when he was tired, always touching Tokarev on his lower back with one hand. The road from Kabul to Kandahar is not easy to walk. From time to time, you can see military vehicles and tanks overturned by rockets, but fortunately, Valentin is lucky.
Most of the time on the road, he followed other cars obediently, so he did not encounter any weapons such as mines.
Valentin found this guide, named Kasim, who spoke Russian well and was very honest. Valentin felt that this boy was a good helper, and when he thought that the arms business might become a stable source of income in the future, he thought of recruiting this guide.
It took a total of nearly four days on this road, because the road conditions were really bad. Valentin's second-hand car was sent to the garage when it arrived in Kandahar. Valentin found a place to live near the Soviet army garrison. He asked Kasim to inquire about the news and see if there was any A marketplace for Soviet trucks and weapons.
It didn't take much for Kasim to find what Valentin was looking for. Speaking of it, this place can be regarded as the most container place for locals and Soviets to get along. Although the two countries are at war, the Soviets need to earn more money to send back home to pay for the increasingly high cost of living, while the locals can only buy from the Soviet army because of the various commodities they need, so they come and go. a small underground market. Here you can buy auto parts produced in the Soviet Union, Soviet firearms and other items that flow out of the barracks. Some of these items were dismantled from scrapped vehicles on the battlefield, while others were stolen and sold by well-connected Soviet troops.
Valentin and Kasim wandered around the market, inspecting the situation here. Because Valentin was wearing local clothes, covered his face, and wore sunglasses, he didn't leak any clues. Walking to a weapons booth and seeing Tokarev and AK-74 hanging on the shelf without even opening the oil seal, Valentin had a bottom line in his heart. He whispered a few words in Kasim's ear, and Kasim immediately asked the stall owner, "Is that all there is? Is there someone more powerful!"
"Little brother, these things are enough for self-defense!" The stall owner saw that Kasim was not a big customer, so he was ready to send it away.
"Boss, my master wants to ask, is there any weapon that can attack the plane?" Kasim asked again.
"Rockets? If you can afford the starting price, can I ask for you?" The stall owner stood up, and this time he no longer underestimated the other party. He was afraid that the other party was sent to purchase from the jihadist forces outside the city, so he quickly invited the two into the house. This house is a small two-story building with a small courtyard in the middle.
"You two distinguished guests, I don't know what weapons you want? We have everything here, as long as you have money, we can get it for you!" The stall owner offered tea and cigarettes, and entertained the two of them graciously.
Kasim translated the words of the stall owner to Valentin in a low voice, and then Valentin asked Kasim to ask: "My master said that he wants weapons that can shoot down Soviet planes, not rockets, but The kind of weapon that can be carried on the shoulder and can automatically chase the plane!"
"You mean, individual anti-aircraft missiles! This kind of thing is very expensive, and we are out of stock for the time being! But customer, do you want Soviet-made or American-made? We can get it here!" The stall owner replied.
"Boss, are you kidding me! Why is this weapon so easy to get?" After understanding the other party's reply, Valentin asked Kasim to ask quickly. He wondered if he had heard it wrong. What he thought was difficult, could he just find a small arms stall?
"Guest! Don't you know that those Russian soldiers are so poor and crazy that they dare to sell everything. As for American-made missiles! Hehe, some jihadists prefer to do opium business, and they don't want to fight the Russians. It's useless to get this kind of weapon from the Americans, it's better to sell it!" The stall owner explained with a smile.