Soviet–Afghan War

The Soviet–Afghan War lasted from December 1979 to February 1989 in Afghanistan. It kicked off a 47-year stretch of conflict in the country, pitting the Soviet Union and the Communist-led Afghan army against Afghan mujahideen rebels. Most of the mujahideen’s outside backing came from Pakistan, the United States (through Operation Cyclone), the United Kingdom, China, Iran, and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, plus a wave of foreign fighters called the Afghan Arabs. U.S. and British support for the mujahideen heated up the Cold War, cutting short a period of eased tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Fighting ran through the 1980s, mostly in the Afghan countryside, since Soviet forces held onto most cities. The war killed between one and three million Afghans, and millions more fled the country as refugees—most ending up in Pakistan and Iran. Out of Afghanistan’s 13.5 million people (according to the 1979 census), an estimated 6.5 to 11.5 percent died during the conflict. The decade-long struggle between the mujahideen and the Soviet and Afghan armies caused massive destruction across Afghanistan. Scholars often point to this war as a key reason the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991, which is why it’s sometimes called “the Soviet Union’s Vietnam.”

A violent revolt broke out in Herat in March 1979, where several Soviet military advisers were killed. The ruling People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) realized it couldn’t put down the uprising alone and asked for urgent Soviet military help—sending over 20 requests in 1979. Soviet premier Alexei Kosygin turned down sending troops, advising Afghan prime minister Nur Muhammad Taraki in one call to use local industrial workers from the province instead, apparently thinking those workers would back the Afghan government. Inside the Soviet Union, opinions were split: some wanted to keep Afghanistan socialist, others worried the unrest would spiral. A compromise was reached to send military aid, but no troops.

The war started when the Soviet military, under Leonid Brezhnev, moved into Afghanistan to back the administration installed during Operation Storm-333. Their presence sparked international debate: the Muslim world and the Western Bloc called it an invasion, while the Eastern Bloc said it was a legal intervention. Soon after, the international community hit the Soviet Union with sanctions and embargoes. Soviet troops took over Afghanistan’s major cities and main roads, while the mujahideen fought guerrilla-style in small groups across the 80 percent of the country that wasn’t firmly under Soviet control—mostly rugged, mountainous countryside. The Soviets laid millions of landmines and used air power harshly against both resistance fighters and civilians, leveling villages to deny safe havens, destroying irrigation ditches, and employing scorched-earth tactics.

The Soviet government initially planned to quickly secure towns and roads, stabilize the PDPA, and pull out all troops within a year. But Afghan guerrillas put up fierce resistance, and the rugged terrain made operations tough. By the mid-1980s, the Soviet force in Afghanistan had grown to about 115,000 troops, and fighting got heavier. The war slowly drained Soviet military, economic, and political resources. By mid-1987, reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev announced a full withdrawal. On February 15, 1989, the last Soviet military column left Afghanistan, crossing into the Uzbek SSR. With continued Soviet backing, the PDPA government fought on alone, and the conflict turned into the first Afghan Civil War (1989–1992). After the Soviet Union dissolved in December 1991, all support to the Democratic Republic stopped, leading the mujahideen to topple the government in 1992 and sparking a second Afghan Civil War (1992–1996).

In Afghanistan, the war is commonly called the Soviet war in Afghanistan (Pashto: په افغانستان کې د شوروي جنگ; Dari: جنگ شوروی در افغانستان). In Russia and other former Soviet states, it’s usually called the Afghan war (Russian: Афганская война; Ukrainian: Війна в Афганістані; Belarusian: Афганская вайна; Uzbek: Afgʻon urushi), sometimes just “Afgan” (Russian: Афган), much like the Vietnam War is often called “Vietnam” or “’Nam” in the U.S. It’s also known as the Afghan Jihad, especially among non-Afghan mujahideen volunteers.

In the 19th century, the British Empire feared the Russian Empire would invade Afghanistan and threaten British colonies in India. This regional rivalry was called the “Great Game.” The Afghan–Russian border was set by a joint Anglo-Russian agreement.