Page "Soviet war in Afghanistan" Paragraph 78

Under Soviet guidance, the DRA armed forces were built up to an official strength of 302, 000 in 1986.

To minimize the risk of a coup d ' état, they were divided into different branches, each modeled on its Soviet counterpart.

The ministry of defence forces numbered 132, 000, the ministry of interior 70, 000 and the ministry of state security ( KHAD ) 80, 000.

However, these were theoretical figures: in reality each service was plagued with desertions, the army alone suffering 32, 000 per year.