Transcript Document

The Soviet War in Afghanistan: A hot war fought between Cold War
Countries
Tessa Landale, March 2, 1012
Cultural and Political Significance
BACKGROUND
At the start of the war in December, 1979, the
Soviet Union thought that fighting Afghanistan
would be a short lived task (BBC). This was not the
case. Although the Soviet Union was well equipped
with helicopters and modern chemical war agents,
the mujahideen had the home-field advantage. The
mujahideen knew the land better than the soviets,
and some argue the religious drive may have been a
factor. As a result the mujahideen controlled more
than 75% of the Afghani Mountains and rural areas
(Trueman). The USSR had the power to control the
major cities, but as the war continued the
mujahideen gained more and more power by
working from the inside out. The mujahideen
mission caught the attention of many foreigners,
and as a result their army grew quickly. The
mujahideen even had the power to convert many of
the Soviet Union’s fighters who had deserted the
communist’s to fight for the mujahideen (Guide to
Russia, Soviet Invasion of Aghanistan).
The Players
The People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan was a
pro-soviet organization, so in 1979 the PDP
appointed Hafizullah Amin to head the country. The
first major outrage to Amin’s regime was his attempt
to suppress religion in an effort to make the country
Communist. As a result thousands joined the
mujahideen stating it was a holy mission from Allah.
In 1980 Amin was shot and replaced with Babrak
Karmal (Guide to Russia, Soviet Invasion of
Afghanistan). Today, both are considered to be mere
puppets of Leonid Brezhnev. Just after the Soviet
invasion, the mujahideen declared a Jihad, or holy
war, on the government. Although the mujahideen
did the fighting the CIA funded the guerilla fighters,
through money, supplies and training.
US involvement
Although the US was not the only country to aid Afghanistan during the
Soviet occupation they provided the most assistance. Saudi Arabia, China,
Pakistan and Iran also aided the mujahideen. Early on in the war the United
States began to support the mujahideen in the form of weapons and tools
and by the end the US was also training the mujahideen through the
Central Intelligence Agency, as well as supplying them with Stinger
missiles (Lowe 47). Stinger missiles were a relatively new technology that
allowed the mujahideen to shoot down the Soviet helicopters. The most
pivotal action of the US though, was the National Security Division
Directive 166 (Rogers et. All). This directive stated that the mujahideen
would prevail but in order to do so they would need to attack more
government strongholds. This directive prompted the mujahideen to engage
in more sophisticated warfare (as they moved away from guerilla warfare).
What was at stake for the US?
One of the main concerns for the US was the oil supplies located in the
Mid-East. The Gulf-states of Pakistan, Syria, and Iran, were the main
suppliers of oil to the US. If the Soviet Union were to take charge of
Pakistan, it would be much easier for the USSR to take control of the oilproducing Gulf States (Encyclopedia Britannica). This was a critical
concern for the US which relied heavily on the oil from these states.
Historical Significance
Although the United States made a point to fight the Soviet
Union through the mujahideen during the Cold War, the US is
now fighting the army they helped build in the first place.
During the Cold War, the US and the mujahideen found a
common enemy in the Soviet Union and were able to unite
over their differences. Today though, the US is at war, fighting
the same army they were once allied with (Rogets et. all).
Members of the mujahideen
wait in the Afghani hills.
Works Cited
Afghanistan
Although the fighting eventually moved towards government strongholds
and known military camps, much of the country was destroyed. The
guerilla warfare that was fought throughout the Afghani countryside
destroyed many towns, farms and homes. When the war moved into the
cities even more infrastructure was destroyed. At the end of the war, it was
estimated that there were over 670,000 Afghani deaths and 5-10million
Afghanis fled to Iran and Pakistan as refugees (Encyclopedia Britannica).
Afghanistan Profile." BBC News. BBC, 22 Feb. 2012. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12024253>.
Encyclopedia Britannica. "The Afghan War." Cold War Museum.
The Cold War Museum. Web. 7 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.coldwar.org/articles/70s/afghan_war.asp>.
Lowe, Norman. Mastering Modern World History. 4th ed. Basingstoke:
Macmillan, 1997. Print.
Trueman, Chris. "Russian Invasion of Afghanistan." Modern World History.
History Learning Site, 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/russia_invasion_afghanistan.htm>.
Rogers, Keely, and Jo Thomas. 20th Century World: The Cold War. London:
Pearson Education Limited, 2008. Print.
A soviet helicopter shot down
by a US Stinger missile.
"Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan." Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. Guide to
Russia, 2004. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. <http://www.guidetorussia.com/russiaafghanistan.asp>.