Soviet–Afghan War

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.