1. Soviet-Afghan War

2. Soviet-Afghan War
Afghanistan’s strategic location has made it a historic location of international conflict and intrigue
Underdeveloped country with divided, quarrelsome tribes

3. Soviet-Afghan War
In Apr 1978 the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan overthrew the government of Mahammed Daoud
Armed resistance to the new Marxist government broke out and the ruling government split into factions
The Soviets were concerned about this instability on their southern border and in Dec 1979 they supported a coup

4. Soviet-Afghan War
Soviet units already in Kabul seized control of key sites and additional units crossed the border into Afghanistan and seized important cities
The Soviets installed Babrak Karmal as president
Babrak Karmal

5. Soviet-Afghan War
The Soviets anticipated a quick collapse of any resistance
Afghanistan had just 15 million people compared to the USSR’s 265 million
Afghan tribes had little unity
The Afghans had only obsolete rifles and equipment left over from World War II
Soviet soldier in Afghanistan

6. Soviet-Afghan War
During the first four years of the war, the Soviets held the major urban areas and launched attacks against the mujahideen, the Afghan guerrillas, in remote and often mountainous areas
The resistance grew as more than half of the 80,000 soldiers in the Afghan army deserted or joined the mujahideen
Many brought their weapons with them

7. Soviet-Afghan War
The mujahideen used classic guerrilla tactics conducting small-scale attacks and ambushing Soviet and government convoys along the roads
The mujahideen also benefited from sanctuaries in Pakistan and Iran as bases of support and training
Soviet vehicle passing through the mountains in Afghanistan

8. Soviet-Afghan War
Initially the Soviets employed traditional mechanized tactics including division-sized offensives against mujahideen sanctuaries
Soon, however, the Soviets realized that the rugged terrain gave the guerrillas numerous advantages
The guerrillas had plenty of places to hide and were not confined to using the roads

9. Soviet-Afghan War
Within months the Soviets began changing the structure of their units and their tactics, shifting to decentralized, mobile operations conducted at the battalion task force level
Increasingly the Soviets relied on air-transported infantry and their airmobile tactics came to resemble those of the US in Vietnam

10. Soviet-Afghan War
The mujahideen began receiving weapons from the West including mines, recoilless rifles, and small antiaircraft guns
Using their small unit tactics and cross border sanctuaries they attacked with little strategic or tactical purpose other than to kill Soviet soldiers
The Soviet responded with rocket attacks into Kabul and other important cities and “scorched earth” tactics designed to starve and terrorize the guerrillas into submission
The Soviets also used chemicals
Still the mujahideen resisted

11. Soviet-Afghan War
By 1984 the Soviets had to choose between a massive increase in forces or a different strategy
Reluctant to increase their strength beyond 125,000 to 140,000 soldiers, the Soviets instead shifted their strategy from destroying guerrillas to destroying the infrastructure the guerrillas needed for support

12. Soviet-Afghan War
The Soviets attacked the supply lines from Pakistan, the border areas that provided sanctuary, and villages suspected of sheltering guerrillas
They destroyed livestock and crops
Attacks on population centers became routine

13. Soviet-Afghan War The new tactics created a massive amount of refugees
30-50% of the population was estimated to have fled Afghanistan by 1986
Still the Soviets had little control outside the urban centers
Sharbat Gula, photographed in Nasir Bagh refugee camp in Pakistan, appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1985 and was found 17 years later by the National Geographic photographic team

14. Soviet-Afghan War
Sharbat Gula, the “Afghan Girl,” when she was about 12 and when she was about 30

15. Soviet-Afghan War
In Feb 1986 the US decided to send high-technology weapons to Afghanistan, including the Stinger air defense missile
The guerrillas’ success in shooting down Soviet aircraft caused the Soviets to limit helicopter assaults, and in 1987 and 1988 most operations reverted to reliance on mechanized infantry formations
The first 340 Stinger missiles fired by Afghan guerrillas brought down 269 Soviet aircraft.

16. Soviet-Afghan War
As the mobility of the Soviets was reduced, they were forced to withdraw from the more remote areas and sought to secure the urban areas
This development turned the tide of the battle in favor of the mujahideen who then began using trucks instead of pack animals and roads instead of trails
A Soviet soldier in Afghanistan in 1988

17. Soviet-Afghan War
In Nov 1986 Mohammed Najibullah replaced Karmal as president
Najibullah adopted a more Islamic public image in an attempt to sway the mujahideen and changed the country’s name from the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan to the Republic of Afghanistan in an attempt to appear less Marxist
Militarily the Soviets launched air raids against mujahideen bases in Pakistan, dropped thousands of mines along supply routes, and stepped up their attacks on villages

18. Soviet-Afghan War
These last ditch efforts could not change the strategic situation
In early 1988 the mujahideen estimated that they controlled 80% of the countryside
Fighting a losing war in Afghanistan and facing economic difficulties at home, the Soviets decided to cut their losses
In Apr 1988 they signed a peace accord
The last Soviet soldier departed Afghanistan on Feb 15, 1989
Soviet convoys leaving Afghanistan

19. Soviet-Afghan War Legacy of the war
The Najibullah government remained faithful to the Soviets and the Afghanis fought a civil war among themselves until Apr 1992 when Najibullah gave up power
Rival factions clamored for power leaving Afghanistan politically fractured
For the Soviets, the Afghan experience became a defeat akin to the American experience in Vietnam
The mujahideen, supported by the US during the war, would later become the enemies of the US

20. Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden helped found the Maktab al-Khadamāt (MAK) which recruited and funded mujahideen to fight the Soviets
In 1988, bin Laden split from the MAK and formed a new group comprised of some of the most militant mujahideen that would become the al-Qaeda terrorist group
With the US involvement in Desert Storm and its subsequent continued presence in Saudi Arabia, home of the Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina, bin Laden became irreconcilably infuriated by the Western influence