ALO, which was originally named Revolutionary Group of the Peoples of Afghanistan (RGPA; Persian: گروه انقلابی خلقهای افغانستان, romanized: Gurūh-e ʾInḳilābī-ye Ḫalḳhāy-e Āfġānistān);[1] and was renamed to ALO in 1980, is one of several organizations that grew out of the Shola-e Javid (Persian: شعلهٔ جاوید, romanized: Šoʿle-ye Jāvid, lit.

On April 27, 1978, military officers loyal to the PDPA launched an uprising on the orders of Hafizullah Amin in what would become known as the Saur Revolution.

On August 5, 1979, a united front of anti-Khalqist Marxists (including the ALO) and moderate Islamists attempted a uprising in southern Kabul.

The uprising lasted 5 hours and was brutally crushed by the Khalqist government's MiG aircraft, artillery and tanks[4][5] It was highly critical of the Soviet–Afghan War and actively fought against what it considered social imperialism.

[6][non-primary source needed] Faiz Ahmad himself was assassinated on 12 November 1986, along with 6 other comrades, by the Hizb-e Islami militia of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.