The Soviet War in Afghanistan (1979-1989) was the final ‘proxy war’ contested between America and Russia during the Cold War, where neither side directly fought each other but they supported opposing sides. The fighting itself took place between the Soviet-led socialist PDPA (People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan) and a rag-tag collection of insurgent groups known as the Mujahideen (trained in Pakistan, but said to have been financially and militarily aided by the US, UK and Saudi Arabia).
There were no ‘winners’ as such in this war – involvement contributed to the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union, and the
consequences of the US helping to arm the Mujahideen are still being felt to this day. Hundreds of thousands of Afghan civilians were killed during the hostilities and millions more fled to the neighbouring countries of Pakistan and Iran. So how did this war even begin, and why did Afghanistan become embroiled in the US-USSR ideological struggle?
The stage was set in 1973 when the Saur Revolution replaced Afghanistan’s ruling monarchy with a new government. In 1978, a second coup d’état led by the Afghan Army established the pro-poor, pro-farmer government of the PDPA with a socialist agenda and close relations with the Soviet Union. The PDPA (against Russia’s advice to take things slowly) introduced sweeping, Soviet-style reforms such as changes in marriage customs and land reform, deeply upsetting the traditional, religiously conservative Islamic population, who felt the changes being forced on them were against Islam.
Rebel militias were formed which began attacking military garrisons and, by the end of 1978, Afghanistan had fallen into civil war. The new government repressed and even executed village mullahs (leaders) opposed to their Communist ideals. America, as was common during the Cold War, began providing covert financial aid to any opponent of pro-Soviet regimes, which essentially meant they began bankrolling the Islamic religious groups. When large parts of the Afghan Army – appalled at being asked to fight their own people – deserted the PDPA to join the Mujahideen, Russian military troops poured into the country.
34 Islamic nations demanded immediate Soviet withdrawal and the United Nations passed a resolution condemning the action, but all to little avail and a variety of different countries began to further arm the Mujahideen against the Russians. The rebels’ ranks were bolstered by resistance fighters from Pakistan and Iran but remained tribally fragmented with up to 4,000 different units operating relatively independently. The Mujahideen became known for their ‘terrorist’ sabotage operations, hitting government office buildings, air terminals, hotels and cinemas, often putting civilians in direct danger. Saudi fighters came in wishing to wage jihad (religious struggle) against the atheist Communists, including a group led by a young Osama Bin Laden that would eventually evolve into al-Qaeda. By the mid-1980s, neither side had gained any real advantage, the fighting was intense and bloody, and casualties were high on both sides.
The seven principle rebel groups formed the Seven Party Mujahideen Alliance in 1987, declared themselves to represent the Interim Islamic State of Afghanistan, and were given international legitimacy when US President George Bush Sr. met with them. The Soviets, in a no-win situation and losing money and lives with no end in sight, announced their intention to withdraw from the country and prepare the Afghan Army to fight the insurgents alone, which they did in 1989. The country collapsed into chaos – though the PDPA government hung on for a few years, law and order broke down and local tribal warlords took control.
The USSR, in dire economic straits at home, collapsed in 1991, while the US lost interest after Soviet withdrawal and did not substantially help with reconstruction. The Mujahideen took control of Afghanistan in 1992. Islamist fighters (including Osama Bin Laden) claimed credit for the fall of the entire Soviet Union. The hard-line Islamic fundamentalist group The Taliban (largely consisting of displaced young Afghans returning from Pakistan) grew in power and, in 1996, took control of the country.
As significant as were the political and religious consequences of the Soviet War in Afghanistan, which are still felt to this day, a moment should be taken to consider one of the most horrible legacies of this war – the hundreds of thousands of children killed or maimed by the landmines, used by both sides, which looked like toys to them.
To learn more about Communism, jump to Chapter 18: Communism
To learn more about the Mujahideen, jump to Chapter 19: Mujahideen
