In short order, nearly 100,000 soviet soldiers took control of major. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. In this brilliant, mythbusting account, braithwaitethe former british ambassador to moscowchallenges much of what we know about the soviets in afghanistan. On december 24, 1979, the soviet union invades afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the sovietafghan friendship treaty of 1978. Afghanistan is overwhelmingly muslim 99 percent, and islam is the second largest religion in russia, with around fifteen to twenty million adherents in the country, or ten to fifteen percent of the population. Jun 28, 2008 predicting the soviet invasion of afghanistan. Thus, over the course of the 1980s, the soviet union spent billions of dollars into the war in afghanistan, and at its peak, more than 100,000 soviet soldiers were fighting in afghanistan. On december 27, soviet spetznaz troops attacked amins home and killed him, installing babrak kamal as the new puppetleader of afghanistan.
The intelligence communitys record douglas maceachin served as cias deputy director for intelligence from 1993 to 1995 during his thirtytwo year career at cia. Sherard cowpercoless account of his time as british ambassador to. But these demographic details have minimum bearing on the relations between the two countries. The thought of the armies of the tsar able to mass directly across the afghan border with india gave many a british diplomat nightmares especially those who worked in the india office at whitehall and those in british india itself. In gripping detail, he vividly depicts the invasion of a volatile country that no power has ever successfully conquered. It was, in fact, fear of a russian invasion of afghanistan that led to the second afghan war of 187880.
At first we see him arriving in afghanistan and as the pages turn we see him transformed into a desperate man fighting for his life and those of his comrades. Still, it was hoped that the invasion would be swift and that the afghans would welcome the return of their old king and that the british could quickly withdraw once they had placed the compliant shah shujah on the throne. Jan 12, 2017 in 1979, soviet troops entered afghanistan and for the next decade the ussr was mired in a conflict that eventually caused the country to unravel. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. Boozing through the sovietafghan war was more horrifying. Afghanistan is a mountainous landlocked country in central asia and middle east. The united states supported the afghanistan rebels in order to try and overthrow the communist government and to prevent the spread of communism.
Oct 10, 2006 the first official deployment of the soviet army into the kingdom of afghanistan began dec. Lyakhovsky and other authors report that at the same time, the top soviet military and political leadership held secret deliberations on the possibility of early withdrawal of soviet forces from afghanistan. The soviet invasion of afghanistan the heritage foundation. Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the foreign mercenaries, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. Before russian invassion afghanistan was something like this. The first official deployment of the soviet army into the kingdom of afghanistan began dec. In the first six months of the campaign, the soviets commit more than 80,000 personnel to occupy afghanistan. Lyakhovsky and other authors report that at the same time, the top soviet military and political leadership held secret deliberations on the possibility. See more ideas about war, afghanistan war and afghanistan. Soviet forces have been in afghanistan fighting the mujahideen warlords for many years, and there is no sign of. Russia in afghanistan 1979 to 1989 part 1 of 3 youtube.
Cyrus and the persians, alexander and the macedonian phalanxes, the barbarian scythians, freebooting turanian knights all these passed through the land of the afghans to reach the fabulous wealth of the indian peninsula. The history of afghanistan has been dominated by the geographical fact that it lies on the route of invasion to india. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an immediate increase in the presence of. Cia covert action worked through pakistani intelligence services to reach afghani rebel groups. 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 british, russians, and americans have all fought across its beautiful and inhospitable terrain, in conflicts variously ruthless, misguided and bloody. Archived document, may contain errors the soviet invas. On the 30th anniversary of russias invasion of afghanistan, russian vets talk about losing more than 14,000 lives in their afghanistan war that ended in retreat. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and foreign mercenaries. The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic. The photos in this book are both gripping and haunting as we follow tamarovs experience into the conflict.
Invaded by the soviet union in 1979 for fear of the islamist movement spreading into central asia. This event began a brutal, decadelong attempt by moscow to subdue the afghan. Kennedy school of government, from 1995 to 1997, subsequently. Afghanistan has been a strategic prize for foreign empires for more than 200 years. 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. The soviet afghanistan war was fought between afghanistan rebels called the mujahideen and the soviet supported afghanistan government. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an.
There are estimated to be 1,500 russians living in afghanistan. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground. Sep 06, 2011 the russian conscripts suffered badly from mismanagement and strategic errors, but they were never defeated on the battlefield, and withdrew in good order. Aug 15, 2010 war history documentaries 501,642 views. Russia and afghanistan institute for the study of war. Sep 27, 2011 in 1988, the soviet army left afghanistan after a concerted campaign by the westernbacked mujahideen. May 06, 2017 before russian invassion afghanistan was something like this. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and afghan assistance fighters, supporter from abroad. Initially, the british successfully intervened in a succession dispute between emir dost mohammad and former emir shah shujah, whom they installed upon. Oct 07, 2008 afghanistan has been a strategic prize for foreign empires for more than 200 years. I believe is an epic statement to the russian experience in afghanistan. See more ideas about afghanistan, afghanistan war and war. Central intelligence agency, directorate of intelligence, the soviet invasion of afghanistan. 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.
In the 1960s and 1970s, due to cooperation between the soviet union and afghanistan, there were roughly 10,000 russian expatriate engineers, interpreters, construction workers, and other similar professionals living in the country, a figure which had grown to 15,000 by the eve of the sovietafghan war. Soviet forces have been in afghanistan fighting the mujahideen warlords for many years, and there is no sign of the war ending as more fighters join the holy. Soviet war in afghanistan simple english wikipedia, the. The russian invasion of afghanistan was almost a microcosm of the cold war itself and it led to high profile political manoeuvres between the usa and the soviet union, the most notable of which was the us boycott of the 1980 moscow olympics.
A digital reproduction is available from eeditions, a collaboration of the university of california press and the california digital librarys escholarship program. In the recent past, during the 1980s, the central intelligence agency cia played a significant role in inserting u. But since then, many enduring myths have grown up about the wartorn country. Boris yeltsin, decided to end all russian aid, in money and kind, to afghanistan. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
If anything, this was even more the case in soviet times when the very difficulties of getting hold of booze acted as a spur to. On of afghanistan introduction on december 27, 1979, under cover cf an ongoing soviet military buildup, heavilyarmed elements of a soviet. Isbn 9781527216334 kaye, sir john, 1860 history of the first afghan war, london. It had got to the state where an invasion of afghanistan was the easier course of action than to announce its cancellation. Resistance intensifies as multiple mujahideen groups, who are supported with money and arms from the us, pakistan, and saudi arabia, fight against soviet forces and their dra allies. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an immediate increase in the presence of foreign. This event began a brutal, decadelong attempt by moscow to subdue the afghan civil war and maintain a friendly and socialist. For viktor ivanov, the road back to kabul has taken two decades. The story of the soviet occupation of afghanistan is well known. The afghanistan area has been invaded many times in recorded history, but no invader has been able to control all of its regions at the same time, citation needed and at some point faced rebellion.
All doubt vanished over the next two days, however. Afghan mujahideen upset their plans, holding on with little more than natural fighting skills, until cia agents came to the rescue with american arms. Humiliated in battle, the soviets hastily retreated. The soviet union invaded afghanistan 25 years ago this month the first time since world war ii that organized soviet troops had been sent outside the bloc or cuba. However, the afghan resistance, the mujahideen, was heavily supported by a wide variety of international actors, including the us, pakistan, saudi arabia. The politburo sessions of january 17 and 28, 1980 carried extensive discussions of the situation in afghanistan. Maceachin was an officerinresidence at harvard universitys john f. Husain,farrukh 2018 afghanistan in the age of empires the great game for south and central asia london.
Dec 22, 2009 on the 30th anniversary of russias invasion of afghanistan, russian vets talk about losing more than 14,000 lives in their afghanistan war that ended in retreat. The ussr entered neighboring afghanistan in 1979, attempting to shore up the newlyestablished prosoviet regime in kabul. The russians in afghanistan, 197989 main by braithwaite, sir rodric isbn. The september 11th sourcebooks national security archive. Sovietafghanistan war timeline history of war in the. A cache of top secret documents show a striking parallel between what the soviets faced in afghanistan, and what u. In 1988, the soviet army left afghanistan after a concerted campaign by the westernbacked mujahideen. Sovietafghanistan war timeline history of war in the 20th. The sovietafghan 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. No wonder that russian soldiers can be amongst the hardestcore boozers around. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, afghanistan was invaded three times from british india. Aug 04, 2014 the ussr entered neighboring afghanistan in 1979, attempting to shore up the newlyestablished prosoviet regime in kabul. Almost all the books ive read before on red army in afghanistan describes the narrative of mujaheddin and pakistan, america and cias combined help to bring down the soviets. The following day, the soviet motorized divisions from turkestan and the fergana valley rolled into afghanistan, launching the invasion.