Support HistoryMaps

Settings

Dark Mode

Voice Narration

3D Map

MapStyle
HistoryMaps Last Updated: 02/01/2025

© 2025 HM


AI History Chatbot

Ask Herodotus

Play Audio

Instructions: How it Works


Enter your Question / Request and hit enter or click the submit button. You can ask or request in any language. Here are some examples:


  • Quiz me on the American Revolution.
  • Suggest some books on the Ottoman Empire.
  • What were the causes of the Thirty Year's War?
  • Tell me something interesting about the Han Dynasty.
  • Give me the phases of the Hundred Years’ War.
herodotus-image

Do you have a question about History?


ask herodotus

History of Afghanistan

Soviet–Afghan War

© HistoryMaps

History of Afghanistan

Soviet–Afghan War

1979 Dec 24 - 1989 Feb 15
Afghanistan
Soviet–Afghan War
Soviet–Afghan War. © HistoryMaps

Video

The Soviet-Afghan War, lasting from 1979 to 1989, was a pivotal conflict of the Cold War, characterized by heavy combat between the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA), Soviet forces, and Afghan mujahideen guerrillas supported by various international actors including Pakistan, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Iran, and Gulf Arab states. This foreign involvement turned the war into a proxy battle between the US and the Soviet Union, predominantly fought across Afghanistan's rural landscapes. The war resulted in up to 3 million Afghan casualties and displaced millions, significantly impacting Afghanistan's population and infrastructure.


Initiated by a Soviet invasion aimed at supporting the pro-Soviet PDPA government, the war drew international condemnation, leading to sanctions against the Soviet Union. Soviet forces aimed to secure urban centers and communication routes, expecting a quick stabilization of the PDPA regime followed by withdrawal. However, faced with intense mujahideen resistance and challenging terrain, the conflict extended, with Soviet troop levels reaching approximately 115,000.


The war exerted considerable strain on the Soviet Union, consuming military, economic, and political resources. By the mid-1980s, under Mikhail Gorbachev's reformist agenda, the Soviet Union initiated a phased withdrawal, completed by February 1989. The withdrawal left the PDPA to fend for itself in a continuing conflict, leading to its eventual fall in 1992 after Soviet support ended, precipitating another civil war. The profound impacts of the Soviet-Afghan War include its contribution to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, ending the Cold War, and leaving a legacy of destruction and political instability in Afghanistan.

Page Last Updated: 10/13/2024

Support HistoryMaps

There are several ways to support the HistoryMaps Project.

Shop Now
Donate
Say Thanks