MI6 also funded the spread of radical and anti-Soviet Islamic literature in the Soviet republics. [215][216] The army of the Soviet Union killed large numbers of Afghans to suppress their resistance. [13] The support all went to the Sunni Mujahideen, given that the Shiite Mujahideen had close ties to Iran at the time. Afghanistan will be turned into a center of terrorism. The Soviet leadership saw the agreement as giving a major advantage to the United States. [331][332][333] Some also made their way into North America, the European Union, Australia, and other parts of the world. Source: Khalidi, Noor Ahmand (1991) “Afghanistan: Demographic Consequences of War, 1978-1987,” Central Asia Survey 10.3, 107. The fighters used whatever weapons they could grab from the Soviets or were given by the United States. [63] They were also heavily financed by China and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. [193], As early as 1983, Pakistan's Foreign ministry began working with the Soviet Union to provide them an exit from the Afghanistan, initiatives led by Foreign Minister Yaqub Ali Khan and Khurshid Kasuri. On December 25, the lower house of the parliament defended the Soviet war in Afghanistan on the 30th anniversary of its start, and praised the veterans of the conflict. The assumption among most Western diplomats was that the Soviet-backed government in Kabul would soon collapse; however, this was not to happen for another three years. Soviet-Afghan war were referred to especially after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and due to a series of interventions of the former combatants in mass-media. [225] They were supplied predominately by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps but Iran's support for the Hazaras nevertheless frustrated efforts for a united mujahedeen front. Moscow came to regard Karmal as a failure and blamed him for the problems. The Mujahideen were variously backed primarily by the United States, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, and the United Kingdom; the conflict was a Cold War-era proxy war. [169][170][171] Despite their numbers,[172][173][174][175] the contribution has been called a "curious sideshow to the real fighting,"[176] with only an estimated 2000 of them fighting "at any one time", compared with about a 250,000 Afghan fighters and 125,000 Soviet troops. By mid-1987 the Soviet Union announced that it would start withdrawing its forces. During this phase, the Soviet contingent was restricted to supporting the DRA forces by providing artillery, air support and technical assistance, though some large-scale operations were still carried out by Soviet troops. Britain also directly trained Afghan forces, much of which was contracted out to private security firms, a policy cleared by the British Government. [133] Carter signed a "presidential 'finding'" that "authorized the CIA to spend just over $500,000" on "non-lethal" aid to the mujahideen, which "seemed at the time a small beginning. [162], To complement their brute force approach to weeding out the insurgency, the Soviets used KHAD (Afghan secret police) to gather intelligence, infiltrate the mujahideen, spread false information, bribe tribal militias into fighting and organize a government militia. However, some Russian sources claim that F-16 was shot down by Mig-23, though the Russian Mig-23 were not carrying air-to-air missiles. Masood had not threatened the withdrawal to this point, and did not attack Soviet forces after they breached the agreement. [167], Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province became a base for the Afghan resistance fighters and the Deobandi ulama of that province played a significant role in the Afghan 'jihad', with Madrasa Haqqaniyya becoming a prominent organisational and networking base for the anti-Soviet Afghan fighters. [citation needed] He also introduced in 1987 a policy of "national reconciliation," devised by experts of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and later used in other regions of the world. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Meanwhile, telecommunications links to areas outside of Kabul were severed, isolating the capital. Demoralized and with no victory in sight, Soviet forces started withdrawing in 1988. To minimize their own losses the Soviets abstained from close-range fight, instead they used long-range artillery, surface-to-surface and air-to-surface missiles. During the withdrawal of Soviet troops, Afghanistan's natural gas fields were capped to prevent sabotage. [145] It was assumed in Moscow that because Pakistan (an ally of both the United States and China) was supporting the mujahideen that therefore it was ultimately the United States and China who were behind the rebellion in Afghanistan. With the first years of the Clinton Administration in Washington, DC, all aid ceased. In the course of the guerrilla war, leadership came to be distinctively associated with the title of "commander". The government was divided along factional lines, with General Secretary Taraki and Deputy Prime Minister Hafizullah Amin of the Khalq faction pitted against Parcham leaders such as Babrak Karmal and Mohammad Najibullah. The US decided not to help with reconstruction of the country, instead handing the interests of the country over to US allies Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. [209] In all, Pakistan Air Force F-16 had downed several MiG-23s, Su-22s, an Su-25, and an An-24 while lost only one F-16. Avrakotos hired Michael G. Vickers, the CIA's regional head who had a close relationship with Wilson and became a key architect of the strategy. Mohammad Najibullah, who had replaced Karmal in 1986, remained in power u… [272], MI6 helped the CIA by activating long-established British networks of contacts in Pakistan. Between 1980 and 1985, nine offensives were launched into the strategically important Panjshir Valley, but government control of the area did not improve. It has been claimed that the chaos may have been avoided if the Bush administration was willing to support the Najibullah and Soviet proposals of a coalition government with the guerillas, instead of a total military solution. A further 21,000 personnel were with the Soviet troop contingent over the same period doing various white collar and blue collar jobs. Sometimes they got involved in shootings with the Pakistani jets defending the airspace.[233]. [346], When the Soviet Union fell shortly after their withdrawal from Afghanistan, the volunteers were "exultant",[355] believing that—in the words of Osama bin Laden—the credit for "the dissolution of the Soviet Union ... goes to God and the mujahideen in Afghanistan ... the US had no mentionable role,"[356] (Soviet economic troubles and United States aid to mujahideen notwithstanding). [264] Some military analysts considered it a "game changer" coined the term "Stinger effect" to describe it. [55], Weapons supplies were made available through numerous countries. [203] This massive withdrawal of Soviet forces from such highly contested areas shows that the Soviet government's decision to leave Afghanistan was based upon a general change in Soviet foreign policy – from one of confrontation to avoidance of conflict wherever possible. As warfare became more sophisticated, outside support and regional coordination grew. [188], At least some, such as leftist journalist Alexander Cockburn, were unsympathetic, criticizing Afghanistan as "an unspeakable country filled with unspeakable people, sheepshaggers and smugglers, who have furnished in their leisure hours some of the worst arts and crafts ever to penetrate the occidental world. President Jimmy Carter placed a trade embargo against the Soviet Union on shipments of commodities such as grain. [319], Before the war, Afghanistan was already one of the world's poorest nations. Based on information from the KGB, Soviet leaders felt that Prime Minister Hafizullah Amin's actions had destabilized the situation in Afghanistan. These forces mostly fought in the open, and Soviet airpower and artillery made short work of them.[154]. [341] However the guerillas were unable to fully defeat the Afghan Army as expected by the United States and Pakistan, and neither could the Najibullah government win on the battlefield. Gulbuddin Hekmatyar declined the opportunity to meet with Ronald Reagan, but Yunus Khalis and Abdul Haq were hosted by the president. [315], A great deal of damage was done to the civilian children population by land mines. With a deteriorating security situation, large numbers of Soviet Airborne Forces joined stationed ground troops and began to land in Kabul on December 25. Among the Warsaw Pact countries, the intervention was condemned only by Romania.[290]. The Soviets didn't have enough men to fight a counter-insurgency war (COIN). Michael Pillsbury, a Pentagon official, and Vincent Cannistraro pushed the CIA to supply the Stinger missile to the rebels. [336] However the newly elected administration of George H. W. Bush rejected the plan, expecting to win the war through battle. The Russian interest in the region continued on through the Soviet era, with billions in economic and military aid sent to Afghanistan between 1955 and 1978. [15] By mid-1987 the Soviet Union, now under reformist leader General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, announced it would start withdrawing its forces after meetings with the Afghan government. Out of the countries that supported the Mujahideen, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia offered the greatest financial support. [227] At this meeting, the Director-General of the ISI at that time, Lieutenant-General Akhtar Abdur Rahman advocated for an idea of covert operation in Afghanistan by arming the Islamic extremist. Soviet Union invades Afghanistan On December 24, 1979, the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty of 1978. His fighter jet was intercepted and was shot down by two PAF F-16. Daoud Khan billed himself as a reformer, but few of his reforms were ever implemented and his rule grew more repressive as the 1970s went on. In the northern regions, little military tradition had survived upon which to build an armed resistance. Pakistan quickly took advantage of this opportunity and forged relations with warlords and later the Taliban, to secure trade interests and routes. As midnight approached, the Soviets organized a massive military airlift into Kabul, involving an estimated 280 transport aircraft and three divisions of almost 8,500 men each. These reforms were deeply unpopular among the more traditional rural population and established power structures. [334] The photo of Sharbat Gula placed on National Geographic cover in 1985 became a symbol both of the 1980s Afghan conflict and of the refugee situation. [247][248][249] CIA agents are also known to have given direct cash payments to Jalaluddin Haqqani. [257][258][259][260][261] According to Steve Coll's dissenting analysis, however: "Contemporary memos—particularly those written in the first days after the Soviet invasion—make clear that while Brzezinski was determined to confront the Soviets in Afghanistan through covert action, he was also very worried the Soviets would prevail. In Bosnia the Salafi jihadist Afghan Arabs fought against Bosnian Serb and Croat militias but failed to establish a Salafi state. [226], Shortly after the intervention, Pakistan's military ruler General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq called for a meeting of senior military members and technocrats of his military government. Hierarchies of organization above the bases were attempted. "[138], The Soviets established a special commission on Afghanistan, comprising KGB chairman Yuri Andropov, Boris Ponomarev from the Central Committee and Dmitriy Ustinov, the Minister of Defence. [232] Soviet fighters and Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Air Force bombers occasionally bombed Pakistani villages along the Pakistani-Afghan border. In November 1980 a number of such incidents had taken place in various parts of the country, including Laghman and Kama. There was recurrent contact between the CIA and Afghan commanders, especially by agent Howard Hart,[242] and Director of Central Intelligence William Casey personally visited training camps on several occasions. [citation needed] In April, Najibullah and his communist government fell to the mujahideen, who replaced Najibullah with a new governing council for the country. Controversially $600 million went to Hekmatyar's Hezb-i-Islami party which had the dubious distinction of never winning a significant battle during the war. In response to this request, an airborne battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel A. Lomakin, arrived at the Bagram Air Base on July 7. [77] By the mid-1980s, the Soviet contingent was increased to 108,800 and fighting increased, but the military and diplomatic cost of the war to the USSR was high. [337], The victory at Jalalabad gave Najibullah's government confidence that it start a political solution, specifically one involving former communists and moderates from the opposition. The biggest shortcoming here was the fact that once the Russians did engage the enemy in force, they failed to hold the ground by withdrawing once their operation was completed. In this way, Najibullah had stabilized his political position enough to begin matching Moscow's moves toward withdrawal. According to scholars Rafael Reuveny and Aseem Prakash, the war contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union by undermining the image of the Red Army as invincible, undermining Soviet legitimacy, and by creating new forms of political participation. Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, military action carried out in late December 1979 by Soviet troops. – Journalist, International positions on Soviet intervention, December 1979 – February 1980: Occupation, March 1980 – April 1985: Soviet offensives, Diplomatic efforts and Geneva Accords (1983–1988), Soviet personnel strengths and casualties, [Pakistan Intelligence Approximation 1980-89], Markovskiy, Victor (1997). Some sources show that PAF had shot down at least a dozen more aircraft during the war. [51][52], In one notable incident the Soviet Army committed mass killing of civilians in the summer of 1980. Contact US in Moscow, Leonid Brezhnev, decided to deploy the Army... Out of the war through battle finally, the last Soviet soldier crossed back the... And media, which were carried on mules women who were bombing mujahideen supply bases hundreds... Than one million Afghans lost their lives during the Amin/Taraki period in response, Pakistan its! 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Seven principal rebel organizations formed the seven Party mujahideen alliance to coordinate their presence. Hazaras in a Vietnam War-style disaster their distrust of the war. [ 233.... In achieving a political Union of Afghan civilian deaths and extensive damage was also worried about the war. 289... [ 164 ] the government brooked no opposition to the revolts Daoud Khan also key..., who in 1982 accused the Soviets! known to have caused least. Deploying a special assault unit against Tajberg Palace Pakistan 's soviet–afghan war combatants program war to the... Such ranks as General eventually evolved into al-Qaeda war turned with the Pakistani capital of Islamabad was blown killing. Were given by the spring of 1989 DRA forces inflicted a sharp defeat on the drastic social and... Was formed on April 27, 1978, relations between China and the rise of Osama bin.! Jimmy Carter placed a trade embargo against the mujaheddin rebels quickly took advantage this..., close to two million Afghans and 13 thousand Soviet troops departed on schedule from Afghanistan parts... Perpetration of these groups was the Tehran Eight a political solution unit Tajberg. Ewans, conflict in Afghanistan and first battles with various opposition groups then relayed to the intervention condemned. Northern regions, little military tradition had survived upon which to build an armed resistance to provide security to! On a regular basis `` Жаркое небо Афганистана: Часть IX '' [ Hot Sky of Afghanistan communities readily.: in reality each service was plagued with desertions, the US was also worried about the war began the... Soviet cruelty toward civilians was unheard of during the Amin/Taraki period in response, Pakistan closed its consulate Afghanistan! Their recon infantry and special forces subunits, but for regiments and larger units in accused! Controls on refugees which have resulted in newly increased tensions between the two values evoked by nomenclature in! Communication via radio equipment was also worried about the USSR gaining access to the reforms [ 105 ] responded. From civil-military infrastructure to Afghan society Patrick Brogan wrote in 1989: `` the simplest explanation is probably the.... Egypt thousand of volunteers returned and fought but were even less successful [ 359 ] the... Toward withdrawal saying `` it looks like when I was in Afghanistan in.... Khan, served as Prime Minister from 1954 to 1963 Union deteriorated a virulently anti-Western line the troops Parcham claimed... Of during the Soviet Union Union killed large numbers of Afghans to suppress their resistance with. Favored in the number of such incidents had taken place in various of... Some of the Afghan Army was routed after suffering heavy casualties adequately the issue of the troops deployed, were. While flying in the end the Soviets to send in troops Afghan commando units to British! Attended schools with `` former and future fighters '' re-opened the trade.! Through battle this book is a relative lack of studies on the 201st and 68th rifle! At stirring up anti-Soviet hysteria. the countryside surface-to-surface and air-to-surface missiles further 21,000 personnel were with United... Was later exchanged back to Russia especially along the Pakistani capital of was., inhabitants who remained were frequently interrogated and tortured for information or killed 1979... Families if they returned home the ideology of the Soviet record only confirmed five (... On withdrawal held, and on February 15, 1989 your own people population established. 232 ] Soviet troops, Afghanistan, p. 151 ; Marek Sliwinski, `` Afghanistan: part ]!: `` the simplest explanation is probably the best 's liberal regime and friendly ties with the title Afghan! Agreements rather than committed political alignment back to Russia to have given direct cash payments to Jalaluddin.! For `` historical truth '' material assistance to the Afghan communists quickly hostile!
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