Harmful Impact on Afghanistan During War With Soviet Union

On Christmas Eve 1979, a combined air and land invasion of Afghanistan commenced. The Red Army seized many urban areas, roads and communication lines. Amin was also captured and executed to be replaced by the more moderate Babrak Karmal. Disputes swiftly irrupted internationally on whether this was an intervention or invasion. The West and many Muslim countries believed it to be the latter one. The tribal warlord has been repulsed to the mountains by the invasion. But this would only spell a new stage in their struggle. The foreign atheist/orthodox invader gave credence to this being a Jihad or Holy War. And the warlords were soon united as the Mujahideen who were committed to combat the Soviet. The U.S. had had their eyes on things for some time, and that time saw an opportunity to make things worse in the Soviet’s backyard. They began funnelling equipment through Pakistan to the Mujahideen. The U.S. wanted to contain communism. The Mujahideen wanted Afghanistan to be independent and Islamic, and Pakistan didn’t mind some pan-Islamic cooperation. The Mujahideen’s call for Jihad had also seen many independent fighters and financiers come from abroad to join in. One such notable figure was Osama Bin Laden. In the end, despite all the support, the Soviets still held a clear upper hand. Under the guidance of Ahmad Shah Masood, the Mujahideen indulged in guerrilla warfare. Initiating a repeated and gruelling effort for the Soviets to drive away the fighters, and then for them to bounce right back. It seemed as if for every fighter they’d killed, his death aided in the recruitment of five more, eager to become a martyr. The Red Army’s constant successful search and destroy missions were also in vain. As no matter how many battles they won, they continued to lose the war. The Afghanistan war was very harsh for the army. Living conditions for troops were poor. Soldiers were involved in guerrilla warfare in unfamiliar and hostile terrains. They faced constant frictions with Afghan civilians who often supported the Mujaheddin. Eventually, these conditions contributed to soldiers’ lost sense of purpose. Some soldiers observed: The widespread corruption and smuggling of army equipment for trade in drugs and goods was permitted. And looting among the Afghan population, killing of non-combatants, punitive attacks on villages, as well as torture of prisoners of war was often permitted and even encouraged by officers.

The army was especially brutal towards women and children. In 1987, Helsinki Watch Reports reported that the ‘Russians systematically entered all the houses, executing the inhabitants including women and children often by shooting them in the heads. With such reports of looting and brutal treatment of Afghan civilians coming in, the army began losing its moral high ground among Soviet citizens. The atrocities committed by Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan undermined the legitimacy of the army as a moral institution that safeguarded the oppressed.

It was in 1985, this routine had finally worn on the patience of the Soviet politics and the people. The illusion of the grand communist power beginning to disintegrate before them. Mikhail Gorbachev took over as general secretary the same year, his unique foreign policy and the anti-war sentiment rapidly shifted the opinion in the Union. The next year, the war effort was only further degraded as Stinger missiles began to be supplied to the Mujahideen. Accurately doing the Soviet helicopters and crippling the army’s ability to scale the high mountains. An exit strategy has to take in place. It switched out Karmal for Mohammad Najibullah and saw new attempts to transfer the burden of fighting on the Afghan army itself. It was further ramped in 1988 when Gorbachev officially signed off on the Geneva Accords, an agreement that would see the USSR being withdrawn and no further intervention from any power. This concluded in 1989, when the last of the Red Army left Afghanistan, ending the Soviet-Afghan war.

In general, it was the first Soviet military expedition beyond the Eastern bloc since World War II and marked the end of a period of improving relations (known as détente) in the Cold War. Subsequently, the SALT II arms treaty was shelved and the U.S. began to re-arm. The long-term impact of the invasion and subsequent war was profound. First, the Soviets never recovered from the public relations and financial losses, which significantly contributed to the fall of the Soviet empire in 1991. Secondly, the war created a breeding ground for terrorism and the rise of Osama bin Laden.