The Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)

The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) seized power in a military coup known as the Saur Revolution, killing President Mohammed Daoud Khan and his family. The PDPA, divided into the Khalq and Parcham factions, established the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and began implementing radical reforms including land redistribution, women's rights, and secular education — policies that provoked widespread resistance in a deeply conservative society.

A major uprising broke out in Herat, led by Islamist and anti-communist factions. Thousands of Heratis attacked government buildings and killed dozens of Soviet military advisers and their families. The Afghan government brutally suppressed the revolt, killing up to 20,000 people. Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin refused initial pleas for direct military intervention, advising the Afghan government to rely on its own forces.

The Soviet Union launched Operation Storm-333, airlifting elite Spetsnaz and airborne troops into Kabul. Soviet forces stormed the Tajbeg Palace, killing President Hafizullah Amin, whom Moscow had determined was unreliable. The Soviet government installed Babrak Karmal, leader of the Parcham faction, as Afghanistan's new leader. The official justification was the Brezhnev Doctrine and a request for aid under the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty.

The United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution ES-6/2 by a vote of 104 to 18, with 18 abstentions, condemning the Soviet invasion and calling for the immediate withdrawal of foreign troops. The United States initiated a grain embargo against the USSR and boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics in protest. The invasion effectively ended the period of detente between the superpowers.

The mujahideen, particularly under commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, waged effective guerrilla warfare against Soviet and Afghan government forces. The Panjshir Valley became a symbol of resistance, with the Soviets launching multiple offensives (totalling nine over the war) but never securing the valley. The US, via the CIA's Operation Cyclone, and Pakistan's ISI funneled billions of dollars in weapons, training, and supplies to various mujahideen factions.

Mikhail Gorbachev, who became Soviet leader in March 1985, privately described the war as a "bleeding wound" and began pursuing a political settlement. Under his policy of perestroika and glasnost, the Soviet public became increasingly aware of the war's human and financial costs, fueling domestic opposition. Gorbachev signaled to the Afghan leadership that Soviet forces would not remain indefinitely.

The United States began supplying mujahideen forces with FIM-92 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. The portable, shoulder-fired missiles proved devastatingly effective against Soviet helicopter gunships and transport aircraft, which had previously dominated the battlefield with impunity. The Stingers dramatically reduced Soviet air superiority, increased Soviet casualties, and accelerated Moscow's determination to withdraw. Soviet forces lost approximately 450 aircraft during the war.

Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Soviet Union, and the United States signed the Geneva Accords, which established a framework for Soviet withdrawal, non-interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs, and the voluntary return of Afghan refugees. The accords did not include the mujahideen, who rejected them and continued fighting. The Soviet Union committed to withdrawing all forces within nine months.

The last Soviet troops, commanded by General Boris Gromov, crossed the Friendship Bridge over the Amu Darya River from Afghanistan into Soviet Uzbekistan. Gromov was the last soldier to cross, symbolically ending the Soviet military presence. The war had cost 14,000-26,000 Soviet lives and an estimated 1 to 3 million Afghan lives. The Soviet-backed government of Mohammad Najibullah survived for three more years before collapsing in 1992 amid factional infighting.