The Sarandoy (Pashto: څارندوی - "Defenders of the Revolution"; also spelled Tsarandoi) were the gendarmerie force of the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan under the Ministry of Interior from 1978 to 1992,[1] during the Soviet–Afghan War.

[6] The unit was disbanded by 1992 after the collapse of the DRA and start of the Afghan Civil War (1992-1996) due to mass cases of desertion.

[5] Additionally, Osama Bin Laden personally led Arab Mujahideen fighters to fight against the Sarandoy’s 7th Operative Regiment, only to fail and take massive casualties.

[6] Those who served in the Sarandoy were paid 162 dollars a month, a wage which was higher than that of Deputy Minister of National Defence before the April 1978 Saur Revolution and some of them would prove effective fighters, although many were little more than thugs.

[6] 12,000 of these Sarandoy personnel were trained at MVD facilities in the Soviet Union between 1978 and 1986, many of them being junior commanders and NCOs (non-commissioned officers).

2,500 of these Sarandoy personnel would be trained in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic for past excellence in combat.