Now retired, the memories of the events from 1986 to 1988 are still fresh in his mind. The veteran shared his experiences with a correspondent from Turmush.
Zamir was born in 1968 and, after graduating from school in Taldy-Suu and obtaining a driver's profession, was drafted into the army in April 1986. He underwent training in a training unit near Grozny, and in August of the same year, he arrived in Kabul.
“At the beginning of our service, we felt fear, but over time it diminished,” recalls Akmatov.
As an experienced driver, he was assigned to an armored vehicle that provided security for convoys carrying food and ammunition, which was extremely dangerous, as the enemy often attacked the convoys.
Nevertheless, in addition to combat actions, the soldiers also struggled with natural conditions: summer heat reached +50°C, and drinking raw water was strictly prohibited—it had to be boiled and treated with chlorine. But even this did not protect them from illnesses: 80% of the personnel contracted jaundice, and Zamir suffered from malaria four times.
The hardest moment for the veteran was returning home. The joy of reuniting with loved ones was overshadowed by a sad memory: “A plane with 108 comrades took off in front of us, and it exploded in the air... No one survived,” he shares.
They left Kabul on May 29, 1988, and when the flight attendants announced that they were crossing the USSR border over Tashkent, the soldiers began tossing their caps into the air—this was a symbol of life triumphing over death.
Upon returning to his homeland, Zamir started working at a fish factory and then served for many years in the Tyup forestry. In 1994, he started a family and raised a son and four daughters together with his wife.
