In 1979, Hafizullah Amin was the ruler of Afghanistan. The KGB spies said that Amin's rule was a threat to Soviet Central Asia republics and also suspected that Amin was not loyal to the Soviet Union. It also found some information about Amin's attempt to be friendlier with Pakistan and China. The Soviets also suspected that Amin had been behind the death of Afghan President Nur Muhammad Taraki. Finally, the Soviets decided to remove Amin.