A rally dedicated to the 31st anniversary of the withdrawal of the Soviet troops from Afghanistan was held in Tskhinval in front of a monument to internationalist soldiers in the Bam microdistrict. Participants in the event laid flowers and wreaths at the memorial, honoring the memory of the Afghans who did not return from the battlefield.
Murat Guchmazov, a Chairman of the Union of Afghanistan Veterans, noted that "the Afghan war lasted for almost 10 years, through which more than 620 thousand soldiers and officers went through, of which 15 thousand did not return home."
“From our small Republic, more than 200 young people were sent to this war, seven of them perished,” Guchmazov said. “Every year we gather here and bow our heads to the soldiers and officers who have fulfilled their official duties and with honor left Afghanistan.”
Prime Minister Eric Pukhaev congratulated the Afghan soldiers on behalf of the President and government of the Republic on the anniversary of the withdrawal of the Soviet troops from Afghanistan.
"Every year on February 15, starting from 1989, when the last Soviet soldier left the territory of Afghanistan, we pay tribute to those guys who performed their international duty, honor and praise to the heroes who showed courage and bravery in the war," the Prime Minister said.
Eric Pukhaev wished the Afghans good, prosperity and a peaceful sky above their heads.
According to the Russian Ambassador to South Ossetia, Marat Kulakhmetov, the Afghans performed their male duty in the war, honestly pulling the soldier’s strap.
“Unfortunately, not everyone has survived to this day, someone was killed in battle, someone failed in health upon returning to the homeland,” said the Ambassador. “Our task is to preserve the memory of them, not to forget it, to honor the brave warriors and their feat.”
Director of the National Museum of South Ossetia, the poet Merab Zasseev read out his own poem, dedicated to the Afghans.
Farizat Valieva, a sister of the deceased soldier, congratulated the soldiers on the anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, wishing them good health, happiness and a peaceful sky above their heads.
The rally was also attended by parliamentarians led by Speaker Alan Tadtaev, members of the government, representatives of law enforcement agencies, the public, and schoolchildren.
