Mujahideen fechters in the kunar province o afghanistan in 1987. The december 1979 soviet invasion of afghanistan was clearly a major turning point in the. The breakdown of the soviet union surprised most scholars of international relations, comparative politics, and soviet politics. In 1979, the soviet union decided to try its luck in afghanistan, long a target of russian foreign policy.
The leaders of the new government insisted that they were not controlled by the soviet. Afghanistan was a repetition of history, this time accompanied by an army approaching 120,000 men and weapons that could destroy an. The army was demoralized as a result of being perceived as an invader. The seemingly endless civil war in afghanistan resulted in thousands of soviet dead and untold monetary costs. Afghanistan afghanistan civil war, communist phase 197892. The soviet army, counterinsurgency, and the afghan war. Soviet war in afghanistan simple english wikipedia, the. Sovietafghanistan war overview history of war in the. We saved the world because communism met its grave here in afghanistan. Starting with the saur revolution military coup, an almost continuous series of armed conflicts has dominated and afflicted afghanistan. In 1919 afghanistan signed the treaty of rawalpindi, which ended the third angloafghan war and marks afghanistans official date of independence.
We argue that the war in afghanistan was a key factor, though not the. On december 25, 1979, soviet troops entered afghanistan, beginning what would be called the soviet vietnam, a 10year war with no clear victor. The soviet war in afghanistan was a nineyear period involving the soviet forces and the mujahideen insurgents that were fighting to overthrow afghanistans marxist peoples democratic party of afghanistan pdpa government. Historiography sovietafghan war flashcards quizlet. Sometimes referred to as the soviets version of the vietnam war, the soviet war in afghanistan ended up being a losing battle for the soviet union, and in many ways, accelerated the dissolution of communism in the east.
Lessons from afghanistans history for the current transition and. In 1979, a year after a coup, the soviet army invaded afghanistan to support its communist. Soviet troops in afghanistan, pin by paolo marzioli. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading ghost wars. Strategy, military operations, and issues for congress congressional research service 1 overview unlike the war in iraq, which, many argue, has entered its endstate, the war in afghanistan where the security situation has deteriorated and no comprehensive political outcome is. The afghanistan conflict is a series of wars that has been fought in afghanistan since 1978. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden, from the soviet invas ion. When the soviet army invaded afghanistan in the fall of 1979, it did so without any counterinsurgency military doctrine. The war in afghanistan 19791989 has been called the soviet unions vietnam war, a conflict that pitted soviet regulars against a relentless, elusive, and ultimately unbeatable afghan guerrilla force the. Reassessing soviet motives for invading afghanistan. Afghanistans history is replete with wars and other violent conflicts, including most. Afghanistan had been in a state of almost constant war for 20 years even before the us invaded. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned. President trump claimed the soviet union went to war in 1979 to battle terrorists.
As midnight approached, the soviets organized a massive military airlift into kabul, involving an estimated 280 transport aircraft and three divisions of almost 8,500 men each. The united states wants all nations in the region to be free and to be independent. Baumann when on 2425 december 1979 soviet forces invaded afghanistan, they intended to conduct a. Soviets take over in afghanistan in an attempt to stabilize the turbulent political situation in afghanistan, the soviet union sends 75,000 troops to enforce the installation of babrak karmal as. The afghan war was one of the decisive events in the final,terminal phase of the cold war. This article is a compilation of lessons learned from the russian afghan war 1979. The entry of soviet forces in afghanistan in december 1979 prompted its cold war rivals, the united states, pakistan, saudi arabia and china to support rebels fighting against the sovietbacked democratic republic of afghanistan. Sovietafghanistan war timeline history of war in the. In 1973, while the king was on an official overseas visit, daoud khan launched a bloodless coup and became the first president of afghanistan, abolishing the monarchy.
The period after the soviet withdrawal shows the potential and limitations of. Corps and army field manual fm 324, counterinsurgency. The war in afghanistan, along with the failure of the soviet economic model and poor central leadership, led to the breakdown of the ussr. To help bring a quick victory, the resulting escalation of troops to pacify the region leads to the bloodiest year of the war. Babrak karmal, a banner leader, and hafizullah amin were elected deputy prime ministers.
Gorbachev had announced his plans to withdraw from afghanistan and he pulled back soviet aid to its allies in the developing world. In afghanistan, the war produced a multilayered destructuring of politics, economy, and society, in ways which remain massively. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and afghan assistance fighters, supporter from abroad. On december 12, 1979, the soviet politburo met and voted to intervene in the struggle for power in afghanistan. The soviet afghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen, as well as smaller maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war against the soviet army and the democratic republic of afghanistan government for over nine years, throughout the 1980s, mostly in the afghan countryside.
Before the invasion of afghanistan, soviet army and intelligence services had previous. The united states supported the afghanistan rebels in order to try and overthrow the communist government and to prevent the spread of communism. Understanding war in afghanistan is an excellent book for journeyman students of afghanistan. Understanding war in afghanistan ndu press national defense. The soviet union intervened in support of the afghan communist government in its conflict with anticommunist muslim guerrillas during the afghan war 197892 and remained in afghanistan until midfebruary 1989. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Afghanistan expert amin saikal concludes in modern afghanistan. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union.
Some of the most important documents on the soviet war in afghanistan were published in the english translation in the cold war international history project bulletin, no. Afghanistan had, therefore, good relations with both cold war enemies. Existing explanations attribute the breakdown of the soviet union to the reformist leadership of gorbachev, andor. Politbiuro report on afghanistan seventeen moments in. A chronology of key events in the history of afghanistan, from the mid1800s to the present day. The soviet afghanistan war was fought between afghanistan rebels called the mujahideen and the soviet supported afghanistan government.
It was one of the key factors in the delegitimization of communist party rule. Report on events in afghanistan on 2728 december 1979. Sometimes referred to as the soviet s version of the vietnam war, the soviet war in afghanistan ended up being a losing battle for the soviet union, and in many ways, accelerated the dissolution of communism in the east. New soviet leader mikhail gorbachev publicly states that he wants to end the war in afghanistan. Soviet union enjoyed friendly relations with the afghan monarchy despite its growing. On a per capita basis, afghanistan received more soviet development aid than any other country. Nur mohammad taraki was elected president of the revolutionary council, prime minister of the country, and secretarygeneral of the combined pdpa. A mujahideen, a captain in the afghan army before deserting, poses with a group of rebels near herat, afghanistan, on february 28, 1980. The soviet union supported the government while the rebels found support from a variety of sources including the. It was both ideologically close to and economically dependent on the soviet union, and was a major belligerent of the afghan civil war.
The sovietafghan war began in 1979 and ended in 1989. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states, saudi arabia, pakistan. Not only does it give them a summary of afghanistans colorful geography and history, but it also presents an uptodate picture of where the war is heading and an informed discussion of the range of choice for afghanistan and its allies. The taliban, which rose from the ashes of afghanistan s post soviet civil war, provides alqaeda sanctuary for operations. The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic. A lowflying afghan helicopter gunship in snowcapped valley along salang highway provides cover for a soviet convoy sending food and fuel to. The democratic republic of afghanistan was the government of afghanistan between 1978 and 1992 recognised by 8 countries. A sovietoccupied afghanistan threatens both iran and pakistan and is a steppingstone to possible control over much of the worlds oil supplies.
At the time, it was reported that the afghan capital of kabul returned to normal for the first time since bloody antisoviet rioting erupted there, killing more than 300 civilians and an unknown number of soviet and afghan soldiers. But a newly published cable underscores moscows fear that afghanistan would switch loyalties to the west. Soviet intelligence in afghanistan baltic defence college. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union rafael reuveny and aseem prakash1 abstract. Not only does it give them a summary of afghanistan s colorful geography and history, but it also presents an uptodate picture of where the war is heading and an informed discussion of the range of choice for afghanistan and its allies. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, invasion of afghanistan in late december 1979 by troops from the soviet union.
It also brought an abrupt end to the era of detente between the united states and the soviet union that began during the nixon years. The war in afghanistan had a major impact on domestic politics in the soviet union. The war in afghanistan is the longest war in us history. In late december 1979, soviet airborne forces and ground troops invaded afghanistan. The united states was, thus, deeply interested in whether the soviet union would succeed in establishing a communist government loyal to moscow in afghanistan. If the soviets are encouraged in this invasion by eventual success, and if they. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden, from the soviet invas ion to september 10, 2001 kindle edition by coll, steve. As nato troops move toward their final withdrawal this year, afghans worry about what will come next, and russian involvement in neighboring. The kite runner warsaw pact world 7 soviet army afghanistan war military history military gear red army cold war. Afghanistan 1979 the war that changed the world youtube. The first official deployment of the soviet army into the kingdom of afghanistan began dec. Civil society reacted to the intervention by marginalizing the afghan veterans. The soviet war in afghanistan, also known as the sovietafghan war or just the soviet invasion of afghanistan, was a nineyear conflict involving soviet forces supporting the marxist peoples democratic party of afghanistan pdpa government against the mujahideen resistance. In the interwar period, afghanistan again was a balancing point between two.
The written recorded history of the land presently constituting afghanistan can be traced back to around 500 bce when the area was under the achaemenid. Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the opposition,called the mujahedeen, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. On december 24, 1979, the soviet union invades afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the sovietafghan friendship treaty of 1978. The documents presented below provide an insight into some of the most important aspects of the soviet decision making on the afghan war from the. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. The documents presented here shed light on the most important moments in the history of the soviet war in afghanistan the afghan government s requests for assistance, the soviet union s initial refusal of troops, the reversal of this policy by a small group of the politburo and the soviet decision to invade. The soviet union intervened in support of the afghan communist government in its conflict with anticommunist muslim guerrillas during the afghan war 197892 and remained in. The thawing of the cold war continued under the new u. See more ideas about afghanistan, afghanistan war and war. The soviet war in afghanistan in pictures, 19791989.
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