Why did the USSR invade Afghanistan?

Comments ( 8 )

1. kozzm0 says

   Myth #1: the USSR invaded Afghanistan.

   Reality: The USSR had already had a large-scale deployment in Afghanistan for over a year by late 1979, at the request of the Afghan government, the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. The Mujahedin had already been organized and funded by Carter and the CIA, and were shelling Kabul and raising hell. A schism in the PDPA between two factions, the Khalq and Bagram factions, eventually developed to where the Soviets took sides. The Khalq President, Amin, was suspected of being a CIA asset, and was trying to purge the Bagram faction. So the Soviets supported a coup by the Bagram faction and its leader, Najibullah. Carter and Western media quickly called it an "invasion," but it was no more an invasion than the US presence in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf crisis.

   Myth #2: the Russians lost.

   Reality: They actually left the country with a stable and well-armed government. They suffered fairly high casualties, but inflicted far higher on their opponents. After they left, Najibullah made a series of political blunders and eventually lost control of the country.

   Myth #3: The Taliban got their start there.

   Reality: The Taliban were not Mujahedin, they were a reaction to the Mujahedin. After Najibullah's fall in 1992, the country entered a state of feudal lawlessness. The ex-Mujahedin became ruthless drug lords or roamed the country in gangs raping and pillaging. The Taliban, mostly Pashtuns who had spent the Soviet war in Pakistan, were not war-weary, and they promised law and order. Just like a tough sheriff in the Wild West, the people flocked to their banner. There was no Taliban when the Soviets were there. The Taliban didn't assume a general Mujahedin role until after the NATO invasion. Now most "Taliban" are just regional Mujahedin.

   Myth #4: It was about oil.

   Reality: Afghanistan has no oil. Its biggest resource right now is ungoverned land, which allows production of vast amounts of heroin. More important, the land is on the ancient Silk Road which has been right in the middle of everything since the dawn of civilization. And since the dawn of civilization, empires and nations have fought over that land in order to gain control of the major transit route which it sits on. It's one of the most fought-over places on Earth.

   Myth #5: Everybody calls it the "Russian Vietnam."

   Reality: only people who don't know the big differences call it that. For starters, Vietnam was not a US-friendly state at the beginning, while Afghanistan was a traditional Soviet ally. The American intervention was not at the request of South Vietnam's legitimate government, either. There were also far fewer people killed on both sides. And Vietnam emerged as a successful state at the end, because unlike Afghanistan, the winning side was not immediately abandoned by its patron at the end of the war.

   What did the Mujahedin do with the arms Carter and Reagan gave them, well, now they are shooting them at us.

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2. Heart of Darkness says

   Black Knight's answer was pretty good, but I just wanted to add a few things.

   The USSR got involved with Afghanistan as a result of the Russian need to have friendly countries on their borders. It's also a result of the major Russian weakness of not having a warm-water port and their push to get one. Afghanistan was to be a stepping stone for that since it's a land-locked country.

   I don't know why people say the Taliban didn't exist until after the Soviets left. Many of the same people that fought the Soviets are the same people the US is fighting in Afghanistan today. They may have not been called "Taliban", but it's the same people.

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3. nosdda says

   The Taliban did not beat the Russians in Afghanistan. Russia just could no longer finance the war, and withdrew its troops etc.
   It is called the Russian Vietnam because the same thing happened to America in Vietnam.

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4. sculpin says

   The Soviets were defeated by the Mujaheddin. The Taliban didn't exist until after that war. The Soviets invaded to prop up a hated Marxist/secular government. Some historians say that the Soviets were actually defeating the Mujaheddin until the USA provided them with Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and they began shooting down the Soviet helicopters in large numbers. It was Russia's Vietnam because it was ann unpopular war at home that seemed lost but they just kept dumping more men and material into it. The reason they were there was similar to the U.S.'s reason for being in Vietnam in the 1960s.

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5. brian o says

   A series of coups started the problems. M. Daoud kicks out the royals, Communists eventually kill him, then Babrak Karmal is replaced by Najibulla etc. Godless instability = religious insurgents. Xmas day '79, CCCP seizes Kabul. Russia w/most of it's south originally muslim can't afford a religious uprising in Turkmen-, Uzbek-, Tajik- & Kazakhstan. Flight's on w/Pakistan sanctuary. Stingers turn the tide against deadly CCCP Helicopter gunships & cost is too high in men/equipment aka quagmire. Anybody can be that good w/the will to make the sacrifices necessary. Men, money, effort & will; it will take allot to win. The Afghans often say "You may all have watches but we have all the time".

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6. ╔BlacKnight╗ says

   It is amazing how some exaggerate stuff and express their opinion and make it sound like the facts. What happened in Afghanistan in 80's IS NO DIFFERENT than what's happening there today. Some say, the Taliban were not in Afghanistan during the USSR invasion, well the name may have not been there, but the people who fought the Russians are the same folks fighting the US today, they were known as the Mujaheddin, and today the Taliban. If you go back to the history of the Mujaheddin, they were collective fighters from various Muslim nations, so are the current Al Qaeda or Taliban in Afghanistan today.

   How did they beat the Red Army?. The US may have provided stinger missiles and some intelligence, but that was NOT enough to defeat a super power, what defeated the Red Army were the determination of fighters who believed in their cause, they believed in fighting for the cause of Allah, liberating their country and protecting their religion. Every Mujaheddin was a religious figure, and were getting more supplies from other Islamic nations. The US goal was to defeat Russia and cared less about the Mujaheddin, however nations like Libya, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq were the states that were ignored as a key suppliers of the Mujaheddin, the word means "holy warrior" and you can bet they believed going to heaven when they die.

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7. Rocket Queen says

   USSR lost because US helped the Afghans…supplied them with weapons and ammunition. i.e. Stinger , which took down alot of russia's aircrafts

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8. JMB says

   Well, the United States armed the Taliban, (with the same weapons the use against us today) trained Osama Binladin, and basically taught them how to beat russia. It is called the Russian Vietnam, cause it was never declared a war, kind of a secret, and it was a continued battle against communism. I do not believe Russia was looking for oil, if i recall correctly, it was more of a stratigic territory

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