Soviet Troops Begin Afghan Withdrawal

A senior military official said the planned withdrawal of about 8,000 Soviet troops from Afghanistan started on schedule today.

But Col. Gen. Nikolai Chervov, a frequent Kremlin spokesman on military affairs, refused to say how many Soviet troops would remain in the country or give any figures on how many casualties Soviet forces have suffered during their nearly seven years there.

“I am not going to tell this to you, because this is a military secret,” Chervov said.

Western diplomatic sources say that satellite surveillance indicates that there are about 115,000 Soviet troops in Afghanistan.

Called Sign of Good Will

Chervov said at a news conference that today’s pullout of six regiments started at 10 a.m. Moscow time. The withdrawal is scheduled to be completed by the end of the month.

Chervov criticized claims by U.S. officials that the pullout is insignificant. He said it is a sign of good will aimed at encouraging a political settlement of the conflict.

The Soviet Union sent troops into Afghanistan in December, 1979, and replaced the existing communist government with another.

Chervov repeated the Kremlin’s contention that the Soviet Union’s “limited contingent” of troops in Afghanistan was invited there by the Kabul government to help defend against foreign-backed rebel forces.

The Soviets have long insisted that the fighting is the direct result of outside military and political support, primarily from the United States and Pakistan, of Muslim rebels fighting the Moscow-backed government.