Soviet–Afghan War

A long war happened in Afghanistan.

It started in 1979. The Soviet Union sent its army there. They wanted to help the Afghan government.

But many Afghan people fought back. They were called the mujahideen. They lived in the rocky mountains.

This fight lasted for ten years. It was a very sad time. Many people had to leave their homes.

Finally, the Soviet army left in 1989. The land was left with much damage. It was a big change for the world.

The Soviet-Afghan War was a long conflict in Afghanistan.

It began in December 1979. The Soviet Union sent its military to help the Afghan government.

This government was the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan.

Many Afghan fighters fought against the Soviet troops. These fighters were called the mujahideen. They used small groups to fight in the rocky mountains.

Other countries helped the mujahideen. Pakistan, the United States, and the United Kingdom gave them support.

The war was very hard for the people living there. Many villages were destroyed. Millions of Afghans had to leave their homes to find safety.

Many people died during the ten years of fighting.

The Soviet Union began to pull its troops out in 1987. The last Soviet soldiers left in February 1989. This war cost the Soviet Union a lot of money and power. Some people say this war helped lead to the end of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The Soviet-Afghan War was a major conflict that took place in Afghanistan.

It lasted from December 1979 until February 1989. This war was part of a much longer struggle in the country. The Soviet Union sent its military to support the Afghan government. This government was led by the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, or the PDPA.

Many people around the world watched this fight closely. It became a key part of the Cold War between big powers.

The fighting happened in two very different ways.

Soviet troops stayed mostly in the big cities. They also controlled the main roads and paths for travel. However, the mujahideen fighters stayed in the countryside. They used small groups to fight in the rugged, rocky mountains. This area made up about 80% of the country.

The mujahideen used a style of fighting called guerrilla warfare. This meant they moved quickly and used the land for cover.

The war began after a lot of trouble for the Afghan government.

In March 1979, a violent uprising happened in the city of Herat. The Afghan leaders asked the Soviet Union for help many times. Eventually, the Soviet military moved in under the leader Leonid Brezhnev. They wanted to keep Afghanistan a socialist state.

This move caused many countries to disagree with them. Many nations called it an invasion, while the Soviet Union called it a legal intervention.

The conflict was very hard on the people of Afghanistan.

Between one and three million Afghans died during the war. Millions more people had to flee their homes to stay safe. Most of these refugees went to Pakistan or Iran.

The war also caused huge damage to the land. Soldiers used landmines and destroyed vital irrigation ditches. By the mid-1980s, there were about 115,000 Soviet troops in the country. The fighting was very intense for many years.

In the end, the war changed the whole world.

The Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev decided to pull the troops out in 1987. The last Soviet military column left on February 15, 1989. This war cost the Soviet Union a lot of money and resources. Many scholars believe this helped lead to the end of the Soviet Union in 1991. After the Soviets left, the fighting in Afghanistan continued in new ways. It led to the first Afghan Civil War in 1989.

The Soviet–Afghan War was a major conflict in Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989.

This war was a central part of the Cold War era. It involved the Soviet Union and the Afghan military fighting against the mujahideen. The mujahideen were Afghan rebels who fought against the government. This decade-long struggle was part of a much longer Afghan conflict. It significantly changed the political landscape of Central Asia and the world.

The conflict began due to rising instability within the Afghan government. In March 1979, a violent uprising occurred in the city of Herat. During this event, several Soviet military advisers were executed. The ruling People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, known as the PDPA, could not stop the unrest alone. They sent over 20 requests for military help to the Soviet Union. Eventually, the Soviet military moved in under the command of leader Leonid Brezhnev. This move was part of an operation called Storm-333.

The war featured two very different styles of combat. Soviet troops occupied the major cities and the main roads. They controlled the primary arteries of communication across the country. However, the mujahideen controlled about 80% of the land. This area consisted mostly of rugged and mountainous countryside.

The mujahideen used guerrilla warfare to fight. This means they operated in small, mobile groups to surprise their enemies. They used the difficult terrain to their advantage against the larger Soviet military.

International reactions to the war were deeply divided. The Western Bloc and the Muslim world called the Soviet presence an invasion. In contrast, the Eastern Bloc called it a legal intervention. Many countries provided support to the mujahideen rebels. The United States aided them through a program called Operation Cyclone. Other supporters included the United Kingdom, China, Iran, and several Arab states. Pakistan provided a large amount of support to the mujahideen.

This involvement helped escalate tensions during the Cold War.

The war was extremely destructive for the Afghan people and the land. The Soviet military used scorched earth tactics to weaken the resistance. This included destroying vital irrigation ditches and leveling entire villages. They also laid millions of landmines across the country.

The human cost was immense. Between one and three million Afghans died during the war. Millions more became refugees, fleeing mostly to Pakistan and Iran.

Based on the 1979 census, the deaths represented between 6.5% and 11.5% of the total population.

By the mid-1980s, the Soviet military presence had grown to about 115,000 troops. Despite this, the war became an exhausting burden for the Soviet Union. The conflict used up massive amounts of military, economic, and political resources. In 1987, the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev announced a plan to withdraw. The last Soviet military column crossed into the Uzbek SSR on February 15, 1989. This withdrawal marked the end of the direct Soviet involvement in the war.

The war had massive long-term consequences for global politics. Many scholars believe the war helped cause the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Because of this, some people call it "the Soviet Union's Vietnam." After the Soviets left, the PDPA government continued fighting alone. This led to the first Afghan Civil War from 1989 to 1992. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, all support for the Afghan government stopped. This eventually led to the mujahideen taking power in 1992.