[6][3] For the coup, Daoud Khan led forces in Kabul along with then-chief of staff General Abdul Karim Mustaghni, to overthrow the monarchy while the King was convalescing abroad in Ischia, Italy.

Daoud Khan was assisted by army officers and civil servants from the Parcham faction of the PDPA, including Air Force colonel Abdul Qadir.

Daoud Khan had strained relations with the King[10] and he was also unable to hold political office after the 1964 constitution, which barred members of the Barakzai dynasty.

[11] Some believe the King did this on purpose because of Daoud Khan's strong pro-Pashtunistan views, which he deemed too radical, and which had led to political rifts with Pakistan.

[12] Another reason was the poor response to the famine in 1971–72 that is believed to have killed thousands in the central and north-western parts of the country, particularly Ghor Province,[13] causing the resignation of Prime Minister Abdul Zahir's government.

[14] In March 1973, a senior foreign ministry official, Wahid Abdullah, asked the United States Ambassador, Robert G. Neumann, in several conversations how Washington would react if Mohammed Daoud Khan returned to power.

In April, Neumann told Wahid Abdullah that although Washington could not comment on Afghan domestic politics, the American attitude towards Afghanistan would be determined by its "policies and actions, in particular toward U.S. interests and towards peace and stability in the region".

[8] The 444th Commando Battalion, including Faiz Mohammed and Khushal Peroz, took over the royal residence in the dead of night and Kabul International Airport.

I hope I will be able to see you all personally at a suitable timeDaoud Khan's links to Marxism, and the Parchamite support in his military coup, led to some suspecting it as being a communist takeover.

After failing, the group fled to Pakistan seeking sanctuary, where the Pakistani government accepted them and provided military training for Afghan exiles and their followers.