View source for Soviet–Afghan War

{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = Soviet war in Afghanistan
| partof      = the conflict in Afghanistan and the [[Cold War]]
| campaign    = 
| image       = Mortar attack on Shigal Tarna garrison, Kunar Province, 87.jpg
| caption     = Mujahideen fighters in [[Kunar Province]] of [[Afghanistan]] in 1987
| date        = December 24, 1979 – February 15, 1989<br />({{Age in years, months, weeks and days|month1=12|day1=24|year1=1979|month2=02|day2=15|year2=1989}})
| place       = [[Afghanistan]]
| result      = Mujahideen victory
* Withdrawal of [[Soviet Union|Soviet forces]] from Afghanistan
* Afghan Civil War continues<ref name="Superpowers defeated: Vietnam and Afghanistan compared" />
| combatant1  = {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} [[Soviet Union]]<br />
{{flagicon|Afghanistan|1980}} D.R. Afghanistan<br>
supported by <br>
{{flagicon|People's Republic of Bulgaria}}[[People's Republic of Bulgaria]] <br>
{{flagicon|East Germany}}[[East Germany]]<br>
{{flagicon|Hungary}}[[Hungarian People's Republic]]
{{flagicon|India}}[[India]]
| combatant2  = {{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} [[Mujahideen|Afghan Mujahideen]]
| commander1  = {{flagicon|Soviet Union|1955}} [[Leonid Brezhnev]]<br />{{flagicon|Soviet Union}} [[Yuri Andropov]]<br />{{flagicon|Soviet Union}} [[Konstantin Chernenko]]<br />{{flagicon|Soviet Union}} [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]<br />{{flagicon|Soviet Union}} Dmitriy Ustinov<br />{{flagicon|Soviet Union}} <nowiki>Sergei Sokolov</nowiki><br />{{flagicon|Soviet Union}} Dmitriy Yazov<br />{{flagicon|Soviet Union}} Valentin Varennikov<br />{{flagicon|Soviet Union}} [[Igor Rodionov]]<br />{{flagicon|Soviet Union}} Boris Gromov<br />{{flagicon|Afghanistan|1980}} [[Hafizullah Amin]]<br /> {{flagicon|Afghanistan|1980}} [[Babrak Karmal]]<br />{{flagicon|Afghanistan|1980}} [[Mohammad Najibullah]]<br />{{flagicon|Afghanistan|1980}} Abdul Rashid Dostum<br />{{flagicon|Afghanistan|1980}} Abdul Qadir Dagarwal<br/>{{flagicon|Afghanistan|1980}} Shahnawaz Tanai<br />{{flagicon|Afghanistan|1980}} Mohammed Rafie
| commander2  = {{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} [[Ahmad Shah Massoud]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} [[Mullah Omar]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} Abdul Haq<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} Abdullah Azzam<br /> {{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} Ismail Khan<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} Gulbuddin Hekmatyar<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} [[Jalaluddin Haqqani]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} Mullah Naqib<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} Abdul Rahim Wardak<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} Fazal Haq Mujahid<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} [[Burhanuddin Rabbani]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} [[Osama bin Laden]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]]
| strength1   = '''Soviet Forces:'''
* 115,000<ref name="Nyrop1986" />
'''{{!}}Afghan Forces:'''
* 55,000<ref name="mepc" />
| strength2   = '''Mujahideen:'''

200,000–250,000<ref name="Al Qa'ida's American Connection" /><ref name="Soviet or the USA the strongest" /><ref name="armytimes" />
| casualties1 = '''Soviet Forces:'''

14,453 Killed (total)
* 9,500 killed in combat<ref name="vfw.org"/>
* 4,000 died from wounds<ref name="vfw.org"/>
* 1,000 died from disease and accidents<ref name="vfw.org"/>

53,753 Wounded<ref name="vfw.org"/>

312 Missing<ref name="kriticheski" />

'''Afghan Forces:'''

18,000 killed<ref name="google1986" />
| casualties2 = '''Mujahideen:'''
75,000–90,000 killed, 75,000+ wounded (tentative estimate)<ref name="google2000" />
| casualties3 = '''Civilians (Afghan):'''

850,000–2,000,000 killed<ref name="Khalidi" /><ref name="Sliwinski" />

5 million [[refugee]]s outside of Afghanistan

2 million refugees in Afghanistan

Around 3 million [[Afghanistan|Afghans]] wounded (mostly civilians)<ref name="relationship" />

'''Civilians (Soviet):'''

Around 100 dead
}}

The '''Soviet–Afghan War''', or the '''Soviet invasion of Afghanistan''', was a [[war]] that was initially fought between the forces of the [[communist]] government of [[Afghanistan]] and fighters who were supported from abroad. Without proper equipment and training, the communist government was unable to resist the opposition, known as the [[mujahideen]], and so it eventually sought the aid of the [[Soviet Union]].

The war began on 25 December 1979, when the Soviets brought their 40th Army to fight in Afghanistan. The Soviets' entry to the country caused an immediate increase in the presence of foreign involvement, and [[Islamism|Islamists]] from around the world who came to Afghanistan to join the mujahideen.

The Soviets' massive military campaigns against the mujahideen, who blended in with the local population, caused extensive destruction of local infrastructure and loss of lives, which made the local population side with the mujahideen. That caused a loss of support for the Soviet military presence and eventually created a nationwide resistance during the conflict.

On 15 May 1988, the Soviet troops started to leave Afghanistan, which continued until 2 February 1989. On 15 February 1989, the Soviets announced that all of their troops had left Afghanistan.

During the war, about 15,000 Soviet soldiers had been killed and about 35,000 wounded. About two million Afghan civilians had been killed. The mujahideen were supported by many countries such as [[Pakistan]], the [[United States]], and [[Saudi Arabia]].

== Background ==
The country has many mountains and deserts that make movement difficult. The population is made up mainly of [[Pashtun people|Pashtuns]], but there are also [[Tajiks]], [[Hazaras]], [[Aimaq people|Aimaq]], [[Uzbeks]], [[Turkmen people|Turkmens]], and some other small groups.

== Soviet deployment ==

=== Hafizullah Amin ===
In 1979, [[Hafizullah Amin]] was the ruler of Afghanistan. [[Spies]] from the [[KGB]] said that Amin's rule was a threat to the [[Central Asia]] republics of the [[Soviet Union]], and they also suspected that Amin was not loyal to the Soviets. They also found some information about Amin's attempt to be friendlier with [[Pakistan]] and [[China]]. The KGB also suspected that Amin had been behind the death of Afghan President [[Nur Muhammad Taraki]]. That made the Soviets decide to remove Amin.

==== Assassination ====
On 22 December [[1979]], Soviet advisers to the Afghan Army took many steps. They stopped all [[telecommunication]] links in [[Kabul]], the Afghan capital. No message could come inside or go outside the city. Troops of the Soviet Air Force also reached Kabul. Amin saw danger and moved to the presidential palace, Tajbeg Palace, for more safety.

On 27 December 1979, about 700 Soviet troops took over major government and military buildings in [[Kabul]]. The troops wore uniforms similar to the Afghan Army. At 7:00&nbsp;pm, the Soviet troops destroyed communications in the city and stopped all communication among Afghan troops. At 7:15&nbsp;pm, Soviet troops entered Tajbeg Palace. In the morning of 28 December, the first part of the military action had been finished, and Amin and his two sons had been killed.

The Soviets announced the freedom of Afghanistan from Amin's rule. They also said that the Soviet soldiers were there to fulfill their duty, as stated in the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Good Neighborliness of 1978.

==== Rise of Babrak Karmal ====
An announcement came from the Kabul radio station about the killing of Amin. The pro-Soviet Afghan Revolutionary Central Committee (ARCC) took responsibility and chose [[Babrak Karmal]] as the head of government of Afghanistan. He asked the Soviet Union for military assistance.

==== Moscow's decision to occupy ====
The Afghan government asked the Soviet Union many times to send troops. Despite the Soviets' treaty with Afghanistan to assist, the Soviets resisted because they feared a quagmire like the [[Vietnam War]]. They instead told the Afghanistan government to reach a compromise with the foreign fighters. The situation deteriorated between the Afghanistan government and the foreign fighters, and initially, the Soviets responded with only intelligence and advisors.

=== Occupation ===
====Soviet operations====
The Soviet soldiers occupied much of Afghanistan, but they could never control the whole country because they lacked the proper military tactics for [[guerrilla warfare]] in Afghanistan's rugged mountainous terrain, and many of them were young [[Conscription|conscripts]] who had been untested in combat. Several Afghan groups continued to attack and to fight the Soviet troops.

====World reaction====
People in most countries around the world did not like what the Soviet Union did in Afghanistan and liked how the Afghans were fighting it. Some reactions were very serious. US President [[Jimmy Carter]] said that the Soviet action was "the most serious threat to the peace since the [[Second World War]]." He threatened to [[boycott]] the [[1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Olympic Games]] in [[Moscow]] unless the Soviet Union withdrew its forces by February 1980. It did not do that and so the US boycotted the Games.

====Afghan reaction====
By the mid-1980s, many groups in Afghanistan had organized themselves to fight the Soviet troops. Those groups received help from many countries like [[United States]], [[United Kingdom]], [[China]], [[Saudi Arabia]], and [[Pakistan]].

Pakistan thought that the Soviet war in Afghanistan was also a threat to since both countries share a border. Through its intelligence agency, the ISI, Pakistan also started bringing active support to Afghans fighting the Soviet troops.

During the war, Afghanistan's [[economy]] had suffered badly. [[Grain]] production came down to 3.5% per year between 1978 and 1990. The Soviets also tried to bring commercial and industrial activities under state control, which also had a bad effect on the economy. With the breakup of the Soviet Union into many countries, Afghanistan's traditional trade also further suffered.

====Soviet withdrawal====
The Soviet war in Afghanistan seemed like a war that would never end. The Soviets looked very bad in world opinion for trying to control Afghanitan. Most people inside the Soviet Union did not support the war. As more and more Soviet soldiers were being killed or wounded as the war dragged on, Soviet Premier [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] referred to the Soviet war in Afghanistan as a "bleeding wound." Finally, on 15 February 1989, after ten years of fighting with no end in sight, the Soviets decided to leave Afghanistan.

== Aftermath ==
=== Soviet Union ===
The war in Afghanistan badly affected the rule of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Soviet Communist Party]]. Many in the world thought that the war was against Islam, which created strong feelings among the Muslim population of the [[Central Asia|Central Asian]] republics. The Soviets had very low spirits, or "morale," because they were unable to control the people and were treated only as invaders everywhere they went. [[Andrei Sakharov]] openly said the bringing the [[Red Army|Soviet Army]] to Afghanistan was wrong.

Over 15,000 Soviet troops were killed in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989. During the war, the Soviet Army also lost hundreds of aircraft and billions worth of other military machines. Around two million Afghan men, women, and children died in the war.

=== Afghanistan ===
Even after the Soviets had left Afghanistan, civil war continued in the country between the various mujahideen factions. For about three years, the communist government of Mohammad Najibullah managed to defend itself from the mujahideen, which fought it. Many groups had arisen within the government itself, and some of them supported the mujahideen. In March 1992, General Abdul Rashid Dostam and his Uzbek militia stopped supporting the government. Soon, the [[Taliban]] had won Kabul and started to rule most of the country.

In 2001, the US launched an invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to find [[Osama bin Laden]]. In 2021, the US announced its withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the last forces from [[NATO]] countries left Afghanistan on 30 August 2021. Kabul was captured by the [[Taliban]] on 15 August 2021.

=== Western world ===
During the war, many people and countries in the [[western world]] praised the US for supporting groups fighting the Soviet forces, but after the [[September 11 attacks]], some people started to question the US policy of supporting and giving money to such groups.

==References==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="Al Qa'ida's American Connection">{{cite web |author=Maxime Rischard |url=http://www.global-politics.co.uk/issue6/Stahl/ |title=Al Qa'ida's American Connection |publisher=Global-Politics.co.uk |accessdate=July 28, 2011 |archive-date=November 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121131224/http://www.global-politics.co.uk/issue6/Stahl/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name="armytimes">{{cite web|url=http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/11/ap-afghanistan-milestone-112610/ |title=Afghanistan hits Soviet milestone – Army News |publisher=Armytimes.com |accessdate=February 15, 2012}}</ref>

<ref name="google1986">{{cite book| last = Isby| first = David C.| title = Russia's War in Afghanistan | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1u1tAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA5| accessdate = February 15, 2012| date = 1986-06-15| publisher = Osprey Publishing| isbn = 978-0-85045-691-2 }}</ref>

<ref name="google2000">{{cite book| last = Giustozzi| first = Antonio| title = War, politics and society in Afghanistan, 1978–1992| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Hz5NzJtg48kC&pg=PA115| year = 2000| publisher = Hurst| isbn = 978-1-85065-396-7| quote = A tentative estimate for total mujahideen losses in 1980-02 may be in the 150–180,000 range, with maybe half of them killed. }}</ref>

<ref name="Khalidi">Noor Ahmad Khalidi, [http://www.nonel.pu.ru/erdferkel/khalidi.pdf "Afghanistan: Demographic Consequences of War: 1978-87,"] ''Central Asian Survey'', vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 101-126, 1991.</ref>

<ref name="kriticheski">DK289.A39 1992 Glazami marshala i diplomata : kriticheskiĭ vzgli︠a︡d na vneshni︠u︡i︠u︡ politiku SSSR do i posle 1985 goda / S.F. Akhromeev, G.M. Kornienko, p. 25</ref>

<ref name="mepc">{{cite web|author=Mark N. Katz |url=http://www.mepc.org/articles-commentary/commentary/lessons-soviet-withdrawal-afghanistan |title=Middle East Policy Council &#124; Lessons of the Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan |publisher=Mepc.org |date=March 9, 2011 |accessdate=July 28, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="Nyrop1986">{{cite book |title=Afghanistan: A Country Study |last1=Nyrop |first1=Richard F. |first2=Donald M. |last2=Seekins |date=January 1986 |publisher=United States Government Printing Office |location=Washington, DC |isbn= |pages=XVIII–XXV |url=http://www.gl.iit.edu/govdocs/afghanistan/Afghanistan-Chapter1.pdf |access-date=2011-01-30 |archive-date=2001-11-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011103033024/http://www.gl.iit.edu/govdocs/afghanistan/Afghanistan-Chapter1.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name="relationship">Hilali, A. (2005). US-Pakistan relationship: Soviet Intervention in Afghanistan. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Co. (p.198)</ref>

<ref name="Sliwinski">Marek Sliwinski, "Afghanistan: The Decimation of a People," ''Orbis'' (Winter, 1989), p.39.</ref>

<ref name="Soviet or the USA the strongest">{{cite web|url=http://vgd.no/samfunn/historie/tema/1582171/tittel/afghanistan-sovjet-eller-usa-sterkeste/innlegg/28408954/|title=Soviet or the USA the strongest|language=no|accessdate=July 28, 2011|archive-date=June 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610163548/http://vgd.no/samfunn/historie/tema/1582171/tittel/afghanistan-sovjet-eller-usa-sterkeste/innlegg/28408954/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="Superpowers defeated: Vietnam and Afghanistan compared">{{cite book| last = Borer| first = Douglas A.| title = Superpowers defeated: Vietnam and Afghanistan compared| year = 1999| publisher = Cass| location = London| isbn = 978-0-7146-4851-4| page = 216 }}</ref>

<ref name="vfw.org">{{Cite web |url=http://www.vfw.org/resources/levelxmagazine/0203_Soviet-Afghan%20War.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-04-18 |archive-date=2006-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060718225045/http://www.vfw.org/resources/levelxmagazine/0203_Soviet-Afghan%20War.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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[[Category:1970s in Asia]]
[[Category:1980s in Asia]]
[[Category:20th-century rebellions]]
[[Category:20th century in Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Rebellions in Asia]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:1970s conflicts]]
[[Category:1980s conflicts]]