The Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989) marked a pivotal moment in Cold War history when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on December 24, 1979. The invasion was precipitated by growing concerns over the stability of Afghanistan’s communist government, which had come to power through a coup in 1978 but faced widespread resistance from Islamic insurgents known as the Mujahideen.
Under Operation Storm-333, Soviet special forces stormed Kabul, assassinated Afghan President Hafizullah Amin, and installed a more Moscow-friendly leader, Babrak Karmal. The Soviets initially deployed around 100,000 troops, expecting a relatively quick operation to stabilize their southern neighbour and maintain a communist buffer state.
However, the invasion quickly devolved into a brutal guerrilla war. The Mujahideen, armed with extensive support from the United States, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and other countries, proved to be formidable opponents. The CIA’s Operation Cyclone provided billions of dollars worth of weapons to the Afghan resistance, including crucial Stinger anti-aircraft missiles that effectively countered Soviet air superiority.
The Soviet forces found themselves ill-prepared for Afghanistan’s challenging terrain and the guerrilla warfare tactics employed by the Mujahideen. The mountainous landscape provided perfect cover for ambushes, while the fighters could easily blend into local populations. Soviet troops faced constant attacks on their supply lines and struggled to distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The war took a devastating toll on Afghanistan’s civilian population. Soviet tactics included bombing villages, destroying agriculture, and laying millions of landmines. An estimated one million Afghan civilians died during the conflict, while five million fled the country as refugees, primarily to Pakistan and Iran.
For the Soviet Union, the war became their “Vietnam,” draining military resources and morale. By the mid-1980s, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev recognized the conflict as a costly quagmire. Under the Geneva Accords, the Soviet Union began withdrawing its forces in 1988, completing the pullout by February 1989.
The consequences of the Soviet-Afghan War were far-reaching. The conflict contributed to the Soviet Union’s eventual collapse, left Afghanistan devastated and politically unstable, and created a power vacuum that would later be filled by the Taliban. The war also had lasting implications for global politics, as many of the Mujahideen fighters, including Osama bin Laden, would later turn their military experience and organizational networks against their former Western allies.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan stands as a cautionary tale about the challenges of military intervention in complex regional conflicts and the unintended consequences that can emerge from Cold War proxy battles.
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