In gripping detail, he vividly depicts the invasion of a volatile country that no power has ever successfully conquered. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Afghanistan war, 197892, conflict between anticommunist muslim afghan guerrillas mujahidin and afghan government and soviet forces. Some of the best books out there about the wars in iraq and afghanistan score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Archived document, may contain errors the soviet invas. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an. On of afghanistan introduction on december 27, 1979, under cover cf an ongoing soviet military buildup, heavilyarmed elements of a soviet.
A professor at kabul university and scholar of afghanistan affairs at the time of the 1978 coup detat, kakar vividly describes the events surrounding the soviet invasion in 1979 and the encounter between the military superpower and the poorly armed afghans. The soviet invasion of neighbouring afghanistan in december 1979 sparked a bloody nineyear conflict with the mujahideen until soviet forces withdrew in 198889, dooming the communist afghanistan government to defeat by afghan popular resistance backed by the usa and other powers. The soviets were invited in by the kabul government. Sep 27, 2011 in 1988, the soviet army left afghanistan after a concerted campaign by the westernbacked mujahideen. The mujahideen groups were backed primarily by the. The russians in afghanistan 19791989, profile books, london 2011, isbn 9780199832651. The shooting 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. Kite runner, riverhead books 2003, isbn 978312 5738485 englisch.
The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and foreign mercenaries. Schon damals war ein stabiles afghanistan aus moskauer sicht ein. Soviet war in afghanistan simple english wikipedia, the. The soviet invasion of afghanistan was a 10year which war wreaked incredible havoc and destruction on afghanistan. Anthony arnold, an intelligence officer in afghanistan before the invasion, reveals a consistent pattern of soviet aggression in that country. During the cold war, the united states cultivated and promoted islamic extremism to counter leftist and communist forces in the region that threatened its b. The intelligence communitys record douglas maceachin served as cias deputy director for intelligence from 1993 to 1995 during his thirtytwo year career at cia.
Dec 20, 2019 on december 24, 1979, the soviet union invades afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the sovietafghan friendship treaty of 1978. The christian science monitor is an international news organization that delivers thoughtful, global coverage via its website, weekly magazine, online daily edition, and email newsletters. The conflict is also known as the us war in afghanistan. Charlie wilsons war is a pretty good read about the political side of supporting the antisoviet forces as well. The soviet invasion in perspective traces the course of sovietafghan relations since 1919, with emphasis on the events that led to the invasion of december 1979. Afghanistan is a mountainous landlocked country in central asia and middle east. The soviet invasion of afghanistan the heritage foundation.
The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and afghan assistance fighters, supporter from abroad. But since then, many enduring myths have grown up about the wartorn country. Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the opposition,called the mujahedeen, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. Few people are more respected or better positioned to speak on the soviet invasion of afghanistan than m. The sovietafghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen, as well as smaller maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war against the soviet army and the democratic republic of afghanistan government.
The situation had been building since april 1978, when a coup led by the prosoviet armed forces military council installed a marxist government under the leadership of noor mohammed taraki. The russians in afghanistan, 197989, london profile books 2011. Some of the invaders in the history of afghanistan include the maurya empire of ancient india, alexander the great of macedon, umar, an arab caliphate, genghis khan of mongolia, timur of persia and central asia, the mughal empire of india, various persian empires, the british empire, the sikh empire, the soviet. The soviet union intervened in support of the afghan communist government in its conflict with anticommunist muslim guerrillas during the afghan war 197892 and remained in afghanistan until midfebruary 1989. He describes three postworld war ii phases in the attempted soviet takeover. Afghanistan invasion 1979 the sovietafghan war lasted over.
Discover the best afghan war military history in best sellers. Its public aims were to dismantle alqaeda and deny it a safe base of operations in afghanistan by removing the taliban from power. Jan 17, 2020 soviet violation of helsinki final act. India in afghanistan from the soviet invasion to the us withdrawal. It was fought over nine years, from december 1979 to february 1989, mostly in the afghan countryside. The peoples democratic party of afghanistan, founded in 1965 but almost immediately riven into two hostile wings, had been induced by moscow into unifying in 1977 in order to seize power the following year. Secondly, conquer afghanistan and preserve the communist government that had been established in the 1970s, that was collapsing because of its lack of support in the military and population. And the second course of action led to my going to pakistan a month or so after the soviet invasion of afghanistan, for the purpose of coordinating with the pakistanis a joint response, the purpose of which would be to make the soviets bleed for as much and as long as is possible.
Invasion of afghanistan, 1981 by the committee on foreign affairs of the house of representatives a concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the congress that the united states terminate diplomatic relations with the sovietsponsored government of afghanistan, 1981 by lawrence p. The soviet afghanistan war was fought between afghanistan rebels called the mujahideen and the soviet supported afghanistan government. The russians in afghanistan 19791989, profile books, david n. The united states invasion of afghanistan occurred after the september 11 attacks in late 2001 and was supported by close us allies. Herausgegeben im auftrag des auswartigen amts vom institut fur zeitgeschichte. May 11, 2020 soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. Zeitschrift des hamburger instituts fur sozialforschung 14 februarymarch 2005. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground.
The soviet union sent troops into afghanistan for several reasons. Soviet occupation, 19791989 research guide to afghanistan. Jan 01, 2009 the soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. Did many western communists justify the soviet invasion of. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. The hidden war by borovik is a very good account of experiences and morale or lack of units during the war, written by what would now be called an embedded. The 3 grau books listed are the best on the military aspects of the war, each chapter a perfect scenario.
Mar 03, 2020 while the bulk of the documentation was produced between 1979 and 1988the period of the soviet military occupation of afghanistan the collection also encompasses events leading up to the 1979 soviet invasion and includes the soviet withdrawal during 19881989. Kennedy school of government, from 1995 to 1997, subsequently. Maceachin was an officer in residence at harvard universitys john f. For first person accounts of firefights and battles i would recommend the bear went over the mountain and the other side of the mountain. Jun 28, 2008 predicting the soviet invasion of afghanistan. Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the foreign mercenaries, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. The soviet invasion of afghanistan by sierra porter on prezi. The conflict had its origins in the 1978 coup that overthrew afghan president sardar muhammad daud khan, who had come to power by ousting the king in 1973. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an immediate increase in the presence of foreign. Oct 10, 2006 the first official deployment of the soviet army into the kingdom of afghanistan began dec. Create marketing content that resonates with prezi video. Kids learn about the history of the soviet afghanistan war during the cold war. The september 11th sourcebooks national security archive. The soviet war in afghanistan reprint by gregory feifer.
Richard nortontaylor cowrote the play the great game. Minutes of conversation between brezhnev and honecker, and andropovgromykoustinovponomarevs reports to brezhnev in the summer and fall of 1979 shed light on soviet thinking on wider geostrategic implications of the situation in afghanistan, the impact of the iranian revolution in the region, perceived u. Feifer brings to life in spirited detail the bloody, eightyear struggle that killed a. During the last years of the cold war, the soviet union sent some of its most elite troops to unfamiliar lands in central asia. Best books about the soviet invasion of afghanistan. Afghanistan seit 2001 zurich open repository and archive. The united states supported the afghanistan rebels in order to try and overthrow the communist government and to prevent the spread of communism.
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