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. Soviet pows in afghanistan january 1, 1986 edition. 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. 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, mostly in the rural countryside. The soviet afghan war lasted over nine years, from december 1979 to february 1989. Afghanistan has a proud literary tradition that includes contemporary writers such as reza mohammadi and khaled hosseini. It was fought over nine years, from december 1979 to february 1989, mostly in the afghan countryside. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Brzezinski focuses on fears that success in afghanistan could give the soviets access to the indian ocean, even though afghanistan is a landlocked country. Oct 10, 2006 the first official deployment of the soviet army into the kingdom of afghanistan began dec. At the end of december 1979, the soviet union sent thousands of troops into afghanistan and immediately assumed complete military and political control of kabul and large portions of the country. Next, we outline the role of the afghanistan war in the breakdown of the soviet union and provide evidence in support of our contention. William dalrymples top 10 books on afghanistan books. 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.
Cassidy, author of the new, critically acclaimed book, war, will, and warlords. No wonder that russian soldiers can be amongst the hardestcore boozers around. Afghanistan s resistance movement was born in chaos, spread and triumphed chaotically, and did not find a way to govern differently. The kite runner by khaled hosseini, one bullet away. Some of the best books out there about the wars in iraq and afghanistan score a books 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. The politburo sessions of january 17 and 28, 1980 carried extensive discussions of the situation in afghanistan. In afghanistan and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and foreign mercenaries. 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. Oct 28, 2015 the photos, starting in 1988, span afghanistan s immediate postsoviet era, the agonizing civil war of the 1990s, the period of taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, the u. The russians in afghanistan, 197989, london profile books 2011. Battle at the village duri in russian with hard cover.
The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic. For months after the invasion, hardly a political or military expert in the world doubted that afghanistan was now forever incorporated as a part of the soviet empire and that nothing short of a largescale global war could alter the status quo. On one occasion, casey has a meeting in washington with abedi, ali, and. The mujahideen groups were backed primarily by the. Sometimes the hardest part of going to war is coming home by. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground.
The sovietafghan war 197989 ebook by gregory fremont. In afghanistan itself, by 1995 an extremist strain of sunni islam called the talibanheavily funded and advised by the isi and the cia and with the support of islamic political parties in pakistanfought its way to power, taking over most of the country, luring many tribal chiefs into its fold with threats and bribes. Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the foreign mercenaries, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. Jonathan steele hat mit ghosts of afghanistan ein buch vorgelegt, dass sich. Soviet air confrontations with pakistan air force, during. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an immediate increase in the presence of foreign. Aug 04, 2014 the ussr entered neighboring afghanistan in 1979, attempting to shore up the newlyestablished prosoviet regime in kabul. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned 16.
The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an immediate increase in the presence of. Conquest of afghanistan by the mongol empire th century, see mongol invasion of central asia. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and afghan assistance fighters, supporter from abroad. I learned more about the details of this war in a single chapter from this book than i have in all the other books combined. The soviet invasion of its neighbour afghanistan in december 1979 sparked a bloody nineyear conflict in that country until soviet forces withdrew in 198889, dooming the communist afghanistan government to defeat at the hands of the mujahideen, the afghan popular resistance backed by the usa and other powers. The ussr entered neighboring afghanistan in 1979, attempting to shore up the newlyestablished prosoviet regime in kabul. Russia in afghanistan 1979 to 1989 part 1 of 3 youtube. The sovietafghan war 197989 ebook by gregory fremontbarnes. Featuring 223 photographs, insightful vignettes and three thoughtprovoking major essays, war is a powerful collaborative effort from vii, a cuttingedge photo agency cooperatively owned by nine elite photojournalists. The treasury simply could not support the demands of such an army. In late december 1979, the soviet union invaded afghanistan. Lyakhovsky and other authors report that at the same time, the top soviet military and political leadership held secret deliberations on the possibility.
Book about special forces of the soviet army in afghanistan. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union. Associated press, 2211992 but books by time magazine and wall street journal reporters will corroborate that casey repeatedly met with abedi. The mughal empires various campaigns against the persians for control of afghanistan. This event began a brutal, decadelong attempt by moscow to subdue the afghan civil war and maintain a friendly and socialist. Aug 15, 2010 war history documentaries 501,642 views. In gripping detail, he vividly depicts the invasion of a volatile country that no power has ever successfully conquered.
The soviet afghanistan war was fought between afghanistan rebels called the mujahideen and the soviet supported afghanistan government. The september 11th sourcebooks national security archive. Discover the best afghan war military history in best sellers. A former soviet soldier lives among afghans when the last soviet general left afghanistan in 1989, he declared that none of his soldiers were left behind. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. Jeremi suri, author of henry kissinger and the american century a timely and important work, without peer in terms of both its scholarship and the authors intimate knowledge of the country, the insurgency threatening it, and the. For months after the invasion, hardly a political or military expert in the world doubted that afghanistan was now forever incorporated as a part of the soviet empire and that nothing short of a. In short order, nearly 100,000 soviet soldiers took control of major.
Sovietafghanistan war overview history of war in the 20th. Most afghans cant read, but their book trade is booming. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned dave shunk 26 december 2008 col dave shunk, usaf, ret. The air war in afghanistan csc 1985 subject area aviation war since 1945 seminar and symposium the air war in afghanistan major keith j. The soviet invasion of afghanistan was a repeat of their invasion of czechoslovakia. He suggests the us should continue aid to the afghan mujaheddin, which actually began before the war and spurred the soviets to invade see 1978 and july 3, 1979.
Existing explanations of the soviet unions breakdown. Virtually all of its war was waged locally by regional warlords. The soviet war in afghanistan in pictures, 19791989. Book afghan war russian afghanistan kgb spetsnaz photo. If you read just one book about the taliban, terrorism, and the united states, this is the place to start. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. Book was published in 2007th in ukraine and was used, condition is very good no lost or torn pages. The last soviet forces left afghanistan in early 1989, but warfare continued as the rebel forces contested with the khalq regime for control of kabul. His narrative starts with the fall of mohammed daoud khan in 1978 and ends with the soviet withdrawal across the uzbek friendship bridge in 1989. Dec 22, 2009 on the 30th anniversary of russias invasion of afghanistan, russian vets talk about losing more than 14,000 lives in their afghanistan war that ended in retreat. Drawing on just war teaching as developed within both christian and muslim traditions, this book examines whether, and how, liberal democracies can combat the new global terrorism both effectively and. If anything, this was even more the case in soviet times when the very difficulties of getting hold of booze acted as a spur to. Meanwhile, we may trace the history of russiansovietafghan relations, we may consider why the u. Historically, afghanistan has never had robust national armed forces.
Boozing through the sovietafghan war was more horrifying. Mar 06, 2009 but history needs a corrective, and gregory feifer, nprs moscow correspondent, has written the great gamble. If the historian draws parallels to the armies of alexander the great, he does you an honor. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an. William dalrymples top 10 books on afghanistan from 16thcentury mughal rulers, to daring victorian spies and todays taliban, the travel writer and historian picks his favourites from a rich.
Jun 01, 2004 war reveals the true story of what our country has faced since that fateful tuesday in 2001. The first official deployment of the soviet army into the kingdom of afghanistan began dec. This event began a brutal, decadelong attempt by moscow to subdue the afghan. Apr 21, 2016 april 21, 2016 stanford historian studies how u. The intense images of afghanistans long and distant war. Conquest of afghanistan by alexander the great 330 bc 327 bc. The making of a marine officer by nathaniel fick, war by sebastian. War reveals the true story of what our country has faced since that fateful tuesday in 2001. The shoulderfired, heatseeking missile supplied to the afghan resistance by the cia during the soviet invasion of afghanistan, is capable of bringing down lowflying planes and helicopters. On the 30th anniversary of russias invasion of afghanistan, russian vets talk about losing more than 14,000 lives in their afghanistan war that ended in retreat. Bikes and books in afghanistan american libraries magazine. The russians in afghanistan, 197989 main by braithwaite, sir rodric isbn.
The hitandrun bloodletting across the wars decade tallied more than. This is the 7th book on the sovietafghan war ive read, and lester grau kept up his reputation with this book for historical investigative detail. The united states supported the afghanistan rebels in order to try and overthrow the communist government and to prevent the spread of communism. Sovietafghanistan war overview history of war in the. Counterinsurgency in afghanistan and pakistan, 20012011, describes the lessons learned after ten years of war in afghanistan. 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.
The russians in afghanistan 19791989, profile books, london 2011, isbn. To stumble into afghanistan is to stumble into history or at least to stumble into a trap laid by historians, whereby any foreign occupier of the country is compared, all too tediously, to his failed predecessors. Few people are more respected or better positioned to speak on the soviet invasion of afghanistan than m. Many libraries, including the entire library of kabul university which had also served as the national library were looted or shut down. Drawing on archives and oral testimony, historian robert crews discovers an afghanistan that. Afghanistan has been a strategic prize for foreign empires for more than 200 years. Soviet war in afghanistan simple english wikipedia, the. The soviet intervention in afghanistan by alfred l. As warfare became more sophisticated, outside support and regional coordination grew. Soviet pows in afghanistan by ludmilla thorne, january 1, 1986, university press of america edition, paperback in english. Created initially as a reserve officers training corps textbook, this second volume in a twovolume overview of the armys story covers the period from world war i to the early days of the wars in afghanistan and iraq. A complete analysis of the soviet intervention in afghanistan in late 1979 must wait until enough time passes for that event to be evaluated in terms of longrange soviet military and political objectives. If anything, this was even more the case in soviet times when the very difficulties of getting hold of booze acted as a spur to the ingenuity for which russians are also rightly known.
The war in afghanistan 19791989 has been called the soviet unions vietnam war, a conflict that pitted soviet regulars against a relentless, elusive, and ultimately unbeatable afghan guerrilla force the mujahideen. Save over 20% credits will not expire, so you can use them at any time. The cia ended its aid in 1992, the russians sometime later, and the prorussian government in kabul fell. The three fulllength essays, written by eminent journalists peter maass, remy.
In the context of the cold war, this move initially caused a considerable surprise and excitement in the west, as it was seen as an indirect threat for the situation in the persian gulf, especially after the us lost their most important ally in the area, the shah of iran, which was overthrown in february of the same year. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned. Sometimes referred to as the soviets version of the vietnam war, the soviet war in afghanistan ended up being a losing battle for the soviet union, and in many ways, accelerated the dissolution of communism in the east. Soviet pows in afghanistan january 1, 1986 edition open.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. In this second part of a twopart interview by government book talk blog editor michele bartram, col. The worsening security in afghanistan, which coincides with steps to expand the u. However, under the taliban regime 19962001, books considered unislamic were burned. The photos, starting in 1988, span afghanistans immediate postsoviet era, the agonizing civil war of the 1990s, the period of taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, the u. The russians in afghanistan, 197989 and over 8 million other books are available for amazon kindle. Meanwhile, the war on terrorism in afghanistan has been intensified.