Afghan officials reported today, Wednesday, the death of former Soviet soldier Bahruddin Hakimov, who chose to convert to Islam and stay in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the Red Army, following a decade-long occupation that ended in 1989.
The head of the forensic medicine department in Herat, Ahmed Shah Mushfiq, said that Hakimov, known as Sheikh Abdullah and over the age of sixty, died of carbon monoxide poisoning that leaked from the fireplace in the western city of Herat, adding that there were no suspicious circumstances.
Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid offered his condolences to Abdullah's family, and said in a tweet on Twitter, "He came to Afghanistan with the former Soviet forces and was captured."
He added, "He converted to Islam after that, got married here, and lived in Herat."
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- Zabihullah (.. Zabehullah M) (@Zabehulah_M33) December 27, 2022
Abdullah was an officer in the military intelligence wing of the Soviet Army that occupied Afghanistan for 10 years in the eighties.
The late said in an interview with Agence France-Presse in 2015 that he was seriously wounded in the head during a battle in 1985, adding that he owed his life to his Afghan enemies who found and treated him.
And he continued in that interview, "I feel very ashamed because I destroyed this country, and caused losses to people..., I stayed in Afghanistan because Afghans are very kind and hospitable people."
In recent years, Abdullah, who is bearded and usually wears traditional Afghan clothing, has worked at a museum in Herat as well as a therapist.