The History of Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
The Soviet Union responded to the crisis arising due to the war between the Communist Afghan Government and the Muslim anti-communist Guerrillas. This Afghan War took place between 1978 and 1992. The Russian troops were there on Afghan soil operating till the mid of February 1989. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is a remarkable turnover in the history of the Asian continent. This invasion earmarked the downfall of the centrist rulers of the country. Russians also showed bitter reforms and ruthless purges during this time. In this article, we will study the Soviet-Afghan War and its aftermath.
Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan
The Afghan War broke between the communist government and the Muslim anti-communist guerillas in 1978. The centrist government under the presidency of Mohammad Daud Khan was overpowered and dethroned by the left-wing Military officers under the guidance of Nur Mohammad Taraki.
It is then the power of Afghanistan was shared between the Parcham or Banner Party and People or Khalq Party. Both parties emerged from the single platform of the People’s Democratic Party of this country. Before this coup, they reunited with each other to overpower the communist regime to take command of the country.
As the new government was formed by the short coalition of these two parties, it forged ties with the neighboring Soviet Union. This new government did not have popularity among the common people as they were happy with the previous one. For this reason, the new coalesced government took the help of the Soviet Union’s military power to get rid of the unwanted anti-government sentiment. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan earmarked ruthless times for the locals of Afghanistan who did not support the current government.
The urban, as well as, the tribal groups spread across this country started showing disharmony against the government with insurgencies. They were collectively known as the Mujahideen meaning the persons engaging in Jihad. These people were from the Islamic orientation.
The current government was feeling political unrest and armed uprising of this group along with internal coups. The internal friction was the result of the unmatched ideologies of the Banner factions and People’s supporters. This prompted the Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan on 24th December 1979.
Afghanistan before the war was an advanced state where people had freedom and were eyeing excellent development of the economy. When the current centrist government was dethroned and Muslim insurgencies took place, it shattered the contemporary conditions and halted the development.
Nearly 30,000 troops were deployed to the land of Afghanistan leading to the dethroning of Hafizullah Amin, the then People’s leader and President of Afghanistan. The prime aim of the Afghanistan invasion of the Soviet Union was to restore and prop up the faltering condition of Afghanistan, their client state. It was not headed by Babarak Karmal, the Banner leader.
Karmal was unable to restore peace and he did not gain much popularity among the urban and tribal population of the country. In fact, the United States of America backed the rebellious uprising of the Mujahideen and it spread across the country. This political unrest took an ugly turn when Soviet Union forces used power against the local rebels. They did not leave any measure to stop and suppress the rebels.
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As time passed by, the Soviet Union had to leave the Afghan soil leaving the matter to the hands of the country’s army. The Afghan army suffered from mass desertion and the rebellion still continued to spark to form a wildfire. The army remained ineffective in these years of war resulting in no restoration of peace.
This resulted in the occupancy of the main cities, major garrisons, and larger towns by Soviet Union troops. More than 100,000 soldiers were deployed in these areas whereas the rebellion was pushed to enjoy partial freedom in the countryside.
The Russians then tried to push the rebels to their limits by bombing the rural areas in the countryside. They used various tactics with ruthless outcomes to suppress these insurgencies but failed every time due to the guerilla tactics utilized by the Mujahideen soldiers.
Not all people were Mujahideen fighters but had to suffer from the massive blows of depopulating tactics undertaken by the Soviet Union. More than 2.8 million people left the country by 1982 and were bound to seek asylum in Pakistan, the neighboring country. More than 1.5 million sought asylum in Iran.
Eventually, the Mujahideen became stronger with the support of the US military supplies. They were handed rocket-propelled grenades or anti aircraft shoulder-fired missiles. The huge supply took down the entire Soviet Union’s airpower in this country resulting in suppressing the Russians to a considerable level.
The uncoordinated movements and plans of Mujahideen due to the surfacing of independent groups led to anarchy after the Soviet Union troops left. The arms and other resources were shipped to this country from the USA via Pakistan. The combat style improved and eventually, the Russians were forced to sign an accord with Afghanistan, the USA, and Pakistan and had to withdraw their troops. It was completed on 5th February 1989.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan summary suggests that the Soviet Union wanted to establish a sympathetic reign in the country but failed. Afghanistan was unable to restore its previous glory and still remains in huge tension.
FAQs on Soviet Union in Afghanistan
1. What was the primary reason for the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979?
The primary reason for the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 was to support the struggling communist government of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). In 1978, the Soviet Union and Afghanistan signed a friendship treaty. When the PDPA government faced a growing rebellion from Islamic fighters known as the Mujahideen, the USSR intervened to prevent its collapse and maintain a pro-Soviet regime on its southern border, a key strategic interest during the Cold War.
2. What was the political climate in Afghanistan leading up to the 1979 invasion?
Before the 1979 invasion, Afghanistan's political climate was highly unstable. In 1973, the monarchy was overthrown in a coup, establishing a republic. This was followed by the Saur Revolution in April 1978, where the communist PDPA seized power. Their radical reforms, including land redistribution and changes to social customs, were deeply unpopular in the conservative, religious society, leading to widespread armed opposition. This internal conflict and the risk of a new, potentially anti-Soviet government prompted the USSR's intervention. Afghanistan had a long history of resisting foreign influence, as seen in the earlier Anglo-Afghan Wars.
3. Who were the Mujahideen, and what role did they play in the Soviet-Afghan War?
The Mujahideen were a coalition of Islamic guerrilla groups who fought against the Soviet army and the Afghan communist government. Their primary role was to wage a persistent and effective insurgency using their knowledge of the rugged terrain. They received significant support, including funding and advanced weaponry like Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, from external powers such as the United States, Pakistan, China, and Saudi Arabia, who saw the conflict as a proxy war against the Soviet Union.
4. What was the ultimate outcome of the Soviet-Afghan War?
The Soviet-Afghan War did not have a clear winner but resulted in a strategic failure for the Soviet Union. The key outcomes were:
- The signing of the Geneva Accords in 1988, which led to the complete withdrawal of Soviet troops by February 1989.
- The Soviet-backed Afghan government remained in power but was severely weakened and eventually collapsed in 1992.
- The withdrawal did not bring peace; instead, it led to a brutal civil war among the various Mujahideen factions for control of the country.
5. How did the Soviet-Afghan War contribute to the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union?
The Soviet-Afghan War significantly contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union in several ways. The decade-long conflict was an immense drain on the already struggling Soviet economy. It also resulted in high casualties (around 15,000 Soviet soldiers killed) and widespread public dissent at home, undermining the authority of the Communist Party. The war shattered the myth of Soviet military invincibility and exacerbated internal political and social tensions, accelerating the processes of Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (restructuring) that ultimately led to the USSR's dissolution in 1991.
6. Why is the Soviet-Afghan War often referred to as the 'Soviet Union's Vietnam'?
The conflict is called the "Soviet Union's Vietnam" because of the strong parallels with the Vietnam War fought by the United States. Key similarities include:
- A superpower's failure: Both wars saw a military superpower become entangled in a prolonged, unwinnable guerrilla war against a determined, locally supported insurgency.
- High Costs: Both conflicts were incredibly expensive in terms of financial resources and human lives, leading to significant anti-war sentiment back home.
- Proxy War Context: Both were major proxy wars of the Cold War, with one superpower fighting directly while the other (and its allies) supplied and supported the opposition fighters.
- Lasting Impact: Both wars had a profound and demoralising impact on their respective nations, leading to a period of national self-doubt and a re-evaluation of foreign policy.
7. What were the long-term consequences for Afghanistan following the Soviet withdrawal?
The long-term consequences for Afghanistan were devastating. After the Soviet withdrawal in 1989 and the collapse of the communist government in 1992, the country descended into a destructive civil war as different Mujahideen factions fought for power. This chaos and instability created a power vacuum that enabled the rise of the Taliban in the mid-1990s. The country's infrastructure was destroyed, its economy shattered, and it became a breeding ground for international terrorist groups, setting the stage for decades of further conflict and instability.
