Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was a 10-year war fought between the Soviet Army and rebels in Afghanistan. The war is generally held to have started December 24, 1979. Soviet troops ultimately withdrew from the area between May 15, 1988 and February 2, 1989. The Soviet Union officially announced that all of its troops had left Afghanistan on February 15, 1989.

Marxist government

During its first 18 months of rule, the PDPA imposed a Marxist-style "reform" program. Decrees forcing changes in marriage customs and ill-conceived land reform were misunderstood by virtually all Afghans. In addition, thousands of members of the traditional elite, the religious establishment and intellectuals were tortured, imprisoned or murdered. Within the PDPA conflicts resulted in exiles, purges and executions.

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By the summer of 1978, a revolt began in the Nuristan region of eastern Afghanistan and spread into a countrywide insurgency. In September 1979 Hafizullah Amin seized power from Taraki after a palace shootout. Over 2 month?s instability overwhelmed Amin's regime as he moved against perceived enemies in the PDPA and the growing insurgency.

Related Topics:
Nuristan - September

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The former director of the CIA, Robert Gates, stated in his memoirs "From the Shadows", that American intelligence services began to aid the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan 6 months before the Soviet intervention.

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According to then US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. It was July 3, 1979 that President Carter signed the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul. These revalations have shed a whole new light onto the proceeding conflict.

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