In gripping detail, he vividly depicts the invasion of a volatile country that no power has ever successfully conquered. The soviet afghanistan war was fought between afghanistan rebels called the mujahideen and the soviet supported afghanistan government. In 1988, the soviet army left afghanistan after a concerted campaign by the westernbacked mujahideen. This event began a brutal, decadelong attempt by moscow to subdue the afghan civil war and maintain a friendly and socialist. Maceachin was an officerinresidence at harvard universitys john f. Jihad the secret war in afghanistan by tom carew goodreads. On december 27, 1979, the ussr invaded afghanistan to save an endangered communist regime. The russians in afghanistan, 197989, london profile books 2011. The conflict is also known as the us war in afghanistan. Within weeks, however, the majority khalqi faction had driven out the rival parchamis, only to. An enormous number of afghans died during the soviet invasion 1978 1989. The soviet invasion of afghanistan the heritage foundation. This is an good image of afghanistan because it consists of vast areas without any grass or cities.
The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. The first official deployment of the soviet army into the kingdom of afghanistan began dec. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and foreign mercenaries. Invaded by the soviet union in 1979 for fear of the islamist movement spreading into central asia. Its public aims were to dismantle alqaeda and deny it a safe base of operations in afghanistan by removing the taliban from power. The christian science monitor is an international news organization that delivers thoughtful, global coverage via its website, weekly magazine, online daily edition, and email newsletters. Archived document, may contain errors the soviet invas. Anthony arnold, an intelligence officer in afghanistan before the invasion, reveals a consistent.
The soviet invasion of afghanistan in 1979, not unlike some other invasions of that remote country, turned into an openended and frustrating military expedition. Lyakhovsky and other authors report that at the same time, the top soviet military and political leadership held secret deliberations on the possibility. 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. Drawing on archives and oral testimony, historian robert crews discovers an afghanistan that hardly fits the forbidding image that has fueled the u. Soviet troops, in conjunction with their afghan counterparts, expended much blood and treasure attempting to suppress the mujahideen fighters who infested the hinterlands of afghanistan. The making of a marine officer by nathaniel fick, war by sebastian. Umstrittene regierungsfuhrung in afghanistan kulturelle.
If youre trying to understand any conflict you still have to start with the dead. Fourfifths of the afghan national army deserted in the first year of the war, which, compounded with the spread and intensification of the rebellion led by the formidable guerrilla fighters of the mujahideen, forced the soviets to intensify their involvement. In this weeks program, the story of afghanistan and the new great game. This artwork effectively describes the topic of the worlds reaction to the soviet invasion of afghanistan.
Modern historysoviet invasion of afghanistan wikibooks. The best books on understanding the war in afghanistan five. The peoples democratic party of afghanistan, founded in 1965 but almost immediately riven into two hostile wings, had been induced by moscow into unifying in 1977 in order to seize power the following year. Invasion of afghanistan, 1981 by the committee on foreign affairs of the house of representatives. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground. Arabic holy warriors fighters in afghanistan that resisted the soviets. Kennedy school of government, from 1995 to 1997, subsequently becoming a senior at the kennedy school. It was fought over nine years, from december 1979 to february 1989, mostly in the afghan countryside. At the end of december 1979, soviet troops moved into afghanistan, setting off an international crisis.
The united states supported the afghanistan rebels in order to try and overthrow the communist government and to prevent the spread of communism. The kite runner by khaled hosseini, one bullet away. The soviet union dispatched forces to defend the communist government in afghanistan. The september 11th sourcebooks national security archive. 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. Few people are more respected or better positioned to speak on the soviet invasion of afghanistan than m. Russia in afghanistan 1979 to 1989 part 1 of 3 youtube.
The united states invasion of afghanistan occurred after the september 11 attacks in late 2001 and was supported by close us allies. Are there any good documentaries or books which discuss this topic. On december 24, 1979, the soviet union invades afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the sovietafghan friendship treaty of 1978. The politburo sessions of january 17 and 28, 1980 carried extensive discussions of the situation in afghanistan. A month after the invasion, in january 1980, the author describes how a visiting soviet minister was given a historical account of britains failures in afghanistan. Cia covert action worked through pakistani intelligence services to reach afghani rebel groups. Afghanistan war, 197892, conflict between anticommunist muslim afghan guerrillas mujahidin and afghan government and soviet forces. It has certainly inspired me to find more books and accounts of this kind.
The soviet invasion of neighbouring afghanistan in december 1979 sparked a bloody. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an immediate increase in the presence of. Douglas maceachin served as cias deputy director for intelligence from 1993 to 1995 during his thirtytwo year career at cia. The united kingdom was a key ally of the united states, offering support. A digital reproduction is available from eeditions, a collaboration of the university of california press and the california digital librarys escholarship program. The mujahideen groups were backed primarily by the. 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. Collins, 9780669112597, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Shows you some of the insights of the russian invasion in afghanistan. Predicting the soviet invasion of afghanistan, by author. The setting consists of mountains and sandy, dirt areas. In 1979 the soviet union moved from military help to active intervention in afghanistan. At the end of december 1979, the soviet union sent thousands of troops into afghanistan and immediately assumed complete military and political control of kabul and large portions of the country. The conflict had its origins in the 1978 coup that overthrew afghan president sardar muhammad daud khan, who had come to power by ousting the king in 1973.
However, the mujaheddin, with foreign support from pakistan, saudi arabia, and the united states, fought against the soviets. However, the afghan resistance, the mujahideen, was heavily supported by a wide variety of international actors, including the us, pakistan, saudi arabia. The situation had been building since april 1978, when a coup led by the prosoviet armed forces military council installed a marxist government under the leadership of noor mohammed taraki. Osama bin laden was part of a group of arabs in the afghan resistance. What was the motive or logic behind the soviet invation of afghanistan. In the recent past, during the 1980s, the central intelligence agency cia played a significant role in inserting u. However, we note that up until 1998, significant numbers of civilians continued to be killed each yearalthough the data throughout leaves many questions unanswered. Kite runner, riverhead books 2003, isbn 9783125738485 englisch.
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