Transcript Afghanistan (Soviet afghan war) 1979-88

AFGHANISTAN
(SOVIET AFGHAN WAR)
1979-88
By: Anmol Gupta & Bavika Atputhajeyam
GENERAL OVERVIEW
Duration 10 years
 Started on Dec. 27th, 1979
 Afghans (Mujahideens) used guerilla warfare to
drive the Soviets out
 Result: stalemate => Soviets forced to withdraw
 1988 – Ceasefire
 1989 – Soviets withdrew
 Ended on Feb. 15th, 1989
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SOVIET INVASION IN AFGHANISTAN
CAUSES
Soviets – expand communism to neighbouring
countries
 Afghanistan – Marxist government was opposed
by many Afghans
 1978 - Overthrow of Afghan central gov’t and a
Marxist gov’t was placed.
 Rebellion of Mujahideens => Soviets intervention
in 1979
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KEY PLAYERS
Communists: USSR & Afghan Government
 Anti-Communists: Mujahideens, US, UK,
Pakistan
 Leaders: US =>President Jimmy Carter (197981), President Ronald Reagan (1982 – 88)
 USSR =>Leonoid Brezhnev (USSR) (1979-82),
Yuri Andropov (1982-84), Konstantin Chernenko
(1984-85), Mikhail Gorbachev (1985-88)
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MOTIVATIONS/GOALS
Soviets
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Geographic benefits:
Access of Indian Ocean
through India
Trade with India
Natural resources: iron,
natural gas, uranium,
copper
Goal: Make Afghanistan
communist and get rid
of the mujahideens
Afghans

Saw Soviets invasion
as a threat to their
culture and religion –
engage in “jihad” (holy
war)
EVENTS
Taraki Regime in Afghanistan
 A jihad against communism launches
 Brezhnev Doctrine: Right of S.U. to militarily get
involved to prevent the overthrow of a
neighbouring communist government.
 1979 – Soviet control over cities
 1980-81 - Mujahideen took control of countryside
 1982 – war was at a stalemate
 1982-83 - Soviets tried to eliminate the
opposition by bombing areas
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EVENTS CONT
1983 – US, UK, Saudi Arabia became supporters
of Mujahideens
 Foreign aid was received from US
 1984-88 – Mujahideens gained the upperhand
through shipments of weapons such as shoulder
fired anti aircraft missiles from US and UK
through Pakistan
 1985 – Soviets close in on Kabul
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EVENTS CONT
Early 1989 – US, Pakistan, Afghanistan and S.U.
signed an agreement to withdraw Soviet troops
and return Afghanistan to peace
 Soviets, with the leadership of Michael
Gorbachev, agreed to withdraw troops within a
10 month period
 Mujahideen take over Kabul
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US’S VIEW ON THE WAR
President Jimmy Carter believed that Soviet’s
action was a “blatant violation of accepted
international rules of behaviour”
 Limited his sales with the USSR
 Following Carter, President Ronald Reagen
despised the Soviets even more and referred to
them as the “evil empire”

SOVIET’S VIEW ON THE WAR
Told that the war was meant to free the
Communists living in Afghanistan
 Communism entails atheism
 Believed that the Afghans needed to be liberated
from their ignorance
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UN INVOLVEMENT
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Early in 1980, the Security Council met to consider a
response to the Soviet intervention, but a draft resolution
condemning it was not passed, due to the negative vote of
the USSR.
Matter taken up in General Assembly, which held an
Emergency Special Session on Afghanistan over five days,
from 10 to 14 January 1980
Assembly adopted the first of a series of 'Situation in
Afghanistan' resolutions (resolution ES-6/2), in which it
deplored the armed intervention in Afghanistan, called for
the withdrawal of all foreign forces, asked States to
contribute humanitarian assistance, and asked the
Secretary-General to keep it informed of developments.
Various approaches to the parties were made with a view
to finding a means to end the conflict, but war continued
UN INVOLVEMENT (CONT’D)
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The Assembly maintained its focus on Afghanistan throughout the
1980s, adopting a series of resolutions which called for an end to the
conflict, withdrawal of foreign troops, UN assistance to find a political
settlement and international help for refugees and others affected by
the conflict.
In 1985, the General Assembly also began a separate consideration of
the human rights
situation in Afghanistan. This followed receipt of the first report from
a newly appointed Special Rapporteur on human rights in that
country. The first in what was to become an annual resolution on
human rights and fundamental freedoms in Afghanistan was adopted
on 13 December (resolution 40/137).
In it, the Assembly expressed its profound concern about widespread
disregard for human rights and large-scale violations. It also
expressed concern at the severe consequences for the civilian
population of indiscriminate bombardments and military operations
aimed primarily at villages and the agricultural structure.
In May 1986, Karmal was replaced as PDPA leader by Mohammad
Najibullah, who subsequently became President in November 1987.
UN INVOLVEMENT (CONT’D)
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Following the exercise of the UN Secretary-General's
good offices, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the USSR and
the United States signed Agreements on the
Settlement of the Situation Relating to Afghanistan
under United Nations auspices on 14 April 1988.
These provided for an end to foreign intervention in
Afghanistan, and the USSR began withdrawing its
forces.
Security Council's agreement on 25 April 1988,
Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar set up a
mission to monitor the withdrawal of foreign forces the United Nations Good Offices Mission in
Afghanistan and Pakistan (UNGOMAP) - and made
plans to support the anticipated repatriation of
refugees.
UN INVOLVEMENT (CONT’D)
The Soviet withdrawal was completed in
February 1989; they had not signed the
agreements, and they maintained their fight
against Najibullah's government and the civil
war continued.
 After May 1987 agreement, the UN had begun
strenuous efforts to coordinate humanitarian
assistance. Afghanistan had long been
designated by the UN as one of the world's least
developed countries and war only made it more
difficult to respond to the challenge of
reconstruction and development.
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WHAT WERE THE OBSTACLES THAT MADE
THE WAR UNWINNABLE FOR THE SOVIETS?
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Soviets faced several obstacles
One obstacle occurred at end of Jan 1980 as the Soviet
units began to seize Afghan cities and major highways
After securing these locations, the Mujahedeen began to
resort to guerilla warfare
Mujahedeen were essentially the Afghan rebel groups who
fought against Soviet influence
As war continued, confrontations with guerilla warfare
cause the confidence of the Soviets to decrease while the
confidence of the Afghans increased
Worsened when US began providing foreign assistance to
the Mujaheeden with the providing of transport vehicles,
weaponry such as missile launchers and food
With all the aid, the usage of chemical weapons or more
troops for the Soviets would not help at all
April of 1988: Soviet troops had withdrawn.
HOW DID THE WAR END? WHAT WERE THE
EFFECTS ON AFGHANISTAN AND ON THE
SOVIET UNION?
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War ended = 1989 through a stalemate with both
sides suffering heavy losses
Soviets withdrew = 1989
Caused the death of 1 million Afghans, and fleeing of
5 million Afghans to neighboring countries
Afghanistan had to enter a state of civil instability,
which still continues into present day
War caused 50,000 Soviet casualties and loss of 1000
pieces of equipment and 450 aircrafts
Soviets were in billions of dollars of debt, which
severely weakened the USSR
Losses also caused the people to question the Soviet’s
authority; arguably a factor that caused the downfall
of the Soviet Union
POLITICAL CARTOON
POLITICAL CARTOON
AIRCRAFT USED IN WAR
OUTCOME IN
AFGHANISTAN