WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 1979 (UPI) - The United States Friday protested to the Soviet Union over Russia's military involvement in the Afghan coup, calling it unjustified and warning it will have "serious implications" for future U.S.-Soviet relations. State Department spokesman Thomas Reston said Soviet troops, backed by armored personnel carriers, took part in the five hours of street fighting in the Afghan capital of Kabul Thursday night, specifically in the vicinity of Radio Afghanistan.
"It is clear," Reston said, "that all of this has serious implications" for U.S.-Soviet relations.
"The Afghan insurgency movement is an indigenous and self-sustaining movement ... and we do not see any external threat against Afghanistan that would justify the Soviet involvement yesterday," he said.
That was in response to Soviet statements that it had moved into Afghanistan at the invitation of the Kabul regime to counter external threats.
The overthrow and execution of pro-communist Afghan President Hafizullah Amin, losing a civil war to Moslem rebels, amounted to a virtual takeover of the country by the Soviet Union, diplomats said Friday.
The diplomats said the Afghan army fell to Russian troops Thursday after about five hours of fighting in Kabul.
They said many Afghan units fled, others defected and many more simply handed over their weapons to the Soviets, who backed Amin until the coup.
One diplomat, who asked not to be quoted, said the coup in which Amin and his family died amounted to an invasion by the Soviet Union.
He said the Soviets mounted the buildup on the Afghanistan border of 50,000 combat troops and the unprecedented airlift this week of up to 5,000 fighting men into Kabul in preparation for the takeover of the strategic but isolated central Asian nation.
The Soviet Union said Friday it has provided military aid to the day-old government of Afghanistan and President Leonid Brezhnev sent a telegram "warmly" congratulating Babrak Karmal, installed as the new Afghani leader in place of Amin.
The official Tass news agency quoted Brezhnev's telegram as saying, "I warmly congratulate you upon your election to the post of general secretary of the Central Committee of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan and to the highest state posts in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
"On behalf of the Soviet leadership and on my own behalf I wish you big successes in your entire multi-faceted activities for the good of the friendly Afghan people."
Tass said Moscow also granted a request from Karmal's regime for urgent all-around aid, including military assistance.
Official Radio Kabul announced Amin's ouster and execution Thursday, adding that Karmal, 50, was appointed president of the Revolutionary Council, becoming the Moslem nation's new strongman.
"The tyrannical, murderous, treacherous, dictatorial and fascist regime of Hafizullah Amin has been overthrown," said the Kabul broadcast, monitored in Washington, London and Asia.
"Hafizullah Amin has been tried and sentenced to death for crimes. ... against the noble people of Afghanistan," the radio said. "The sentence has been carried out."
Death by firing squad is the usual method of execution in Afghanistan, but the method used for Amin was not disclosed.
