 The repressive nature of the "Democratic Republic, which vigorously suppressed opposition and executed thousands of political prisoners, led to the rise of anti-government armed groups; by April 1979, large parts of the country were in open rebellion.The communist party itself experienced deep internal rivalries between the Khalqists and Parchamites; in September 1979, President Nur Mohammad Taraki was assassinated under orders of the second-in-command, Hafizullah Amin, which soured relations with the Soviet Union.Eventually the Soviet government, under leader Leonid Brezhnev, decided to the 40th Army on December 24, 1979.