The Soviet Takeover in Afghanistan
December 1979-February 1989
ALLISON CHANG
Buildup to the Soviet Invasion
 During 1973, General
General Daud
Mohammad Daud Khan, the
president of Afghanistan’s
centrist government came to
power.
 He established dictatorial
rule, and ruthlessly persecutes
his opponents (Sehrish).
 He starts to depend less on the
Soviet Union, and forms
closer ties to Iran
(“Afghanistan Profile”).
Buildup to the Soviet Invasion
 Daud was overthrown by Mohammad
Taraki and his military officers.
 The new government was the PDPA
(People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan),
who worked closely with the Soviet Union
to eliminate all domestic resistance.
 They abolished religious customs and killed
anyone who obeyed traditional religious
laws. Most of Afghanistan’s population at
that time were devout Muslims against
communism, and they were unhappy with
the PDPA’s political and social reforms
(“Afghanistan Profile”).
 The Mujahideen was the main rebel group
opposing the PDPA and forcefully opposed
them ("Soviet invasion of Afghanistan”).
The PDPA
PDPA’s Flag
Buildup to the Soviet Invasion
 On March 1979, Hafizullah
Hafizullah Amin
Soviet Propoganda
Amin, the second president of
Afghanistan, took power during
the communist Democratic
Republic of Afghanistan after
overthrowing Taraki (Wahid).
 It became obvious he was
unable to control the rebel
group, and the Soviets were
forced to invade to try to keep
the peace (“Soviets take over in
Afghanistan”).
Reasons for Invasion
 The USSR was especially
interested by the geopolitical
foothold they could gain with
a regime in Southwest Asia
("Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan”).
 Afghanistan was a tactical
position between Asia and
the Middle East that could be
used to counter the U.S.
alliance with Pakistan and
additional Persian Gulf
countries (Sehrish).
Reasons for Invasion
 If they created a stable communist
government in Afghanistan, they
could gain a warm-water port in the
Indian Ocean.
- This would offer access to
central trade routes
throughout the year, and it
would also increase the size
of USSR’s navy.
 They could also gain access to
Afghanistan’s abundant natural
resources, including natural gas,
copper, uranium, and iron (“Why the
Soviets Invaded Afghanistan”).
The Takeover
 On December 24, 1979, the Soviet Union


A Soviet group prepares for a mission in Afghanistan,
1988


Babrak Karmal
invaded Afghanistan with 75,000 troops,
which ended Amin’s presidency.
Soviet air forces landed in Kabul on the
25th, accompanied by ground troops.
The USSR tried to steady the turbulent
political condition by appointing Babrak
Karmal as the new leader, acting as a
puppet for the Soviet Union.
Karmal was not popular with the Afghans,
and the mujahideen rebellion continued to
spread and worsen ("Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan”).
Instead of the calming desired effect, the
Soviet invasion infuriated the country and
caused a nationalistic feeling to grow,
which fueled the rebellion.
During the War
 “The Soviets imposed military and social reforms that
began to make enemies within different sectors of the
indigenous population” (Sehrish).
 Afghan tribal leaders were unhappy with these reforms
that deteriorated conditions for the poor and used mass
arrests, torture, and executions to stop revolts (Sehrish).
Soviet forces after capturing a group of
Mujahideen
An Afghan is arrested
During the War
 “The Afghan War quickly settled
down into a stalemate, with more
than 100,000 Soviet troops
controlling the cities, larger
towns, and major garrisons and
the mujahideen moving with
relative freedom throughout the
countryside” ("Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan”).
 The rebel guerillas were able to
avoid most of the Soviet attacks,
and the mujahideen gradually
strengthened using war supplies
donated by the United States,
Pakistan, and other sympathetic
Muslims in other countries.
 Many Afghan citizens fled to
neighboring countries, mostly to
Pakistan.
Soviet Tactics
 The USSR struggled to eliminate the civilian backing and attempted to stop
them by dropping bombs and evacuating the people living in rural areas.
 They called this their “depopulation campaign”.
 Instead of fighting in close combat, the Soviets preferred heavy weaponry
and air battle, including planes and helicopters targeting exposed
countryside guerillas ("Soviet invasion of Afghanistan”).
Afghans find a Soviet missile
Soviet helicopter crashes
Soviet Invasion Route
Soviet Areas of Influence
Afghan Tactics
 The rebel mujahideen counteracted the Soviet air power
by using antiaircraft missiles provided by the United
States.
 They also used guerilla hit-and-run tactics such as setting
up ambushes and blowing up pipelines (Galster).
The mujahideen
The Invasion Ends
 By 1988, the USSR’s attempt to implement a friendly regime in
Afghanistan was unsuccessful.
 That year, the Soviet Union signed a treaty with Afghanistan,
Pakistan, and the United States and extracted it’s troops.
 On February 15, 1989, after nearly 10 years of fighting, the Soviet
withdrawal was finished. ("Soviet invasion of Afghanistan”).
Soviet troops withdraw
Soviet tank left behind
The Effects- For the Soviet Union
 There were more than 15,000 dead and many more physically and
mentally injured Soviets ("Soviet invasion of Afghanistan”).
 The USSR lost billions of dollars to the war, and even after the withdrawal,
continued to supply help to Kabul, costing them billions each year.
 The people of the Soviet Union started to question their government.
 The combination of financial loss and public unrest (“Consequences of the
War for the Soviet Union).
Soviet killed in the war
The Effects- For Afghanistan
 Around one million Afghans perished




during the course of the war.
Because of the enduring civil war,
even more have died since then.
Afghanistan is still a top nation with
the most refugees, around 2.6 million.
To this day, Afghanistan is still in a
state of political turmoil.
Despite Afghanistan’s plentiful
underground resources, it still
remains one of the most
impoverished countries with no
economic or industrial growth
(“Consequences of the War for
Afghanistan”).
Afghanistan today
A Mujahideen mourns his fellow members
The Effects- For Afghanistan (Cont.)
 The country is divided between many different Islamic groups and
Soviet-installed control in Kabul, each group with a different view of
future Afghanistan.
 The fighting between Islamic factions were among the worst, making
ordinary life in Afghanistan dangerous.
 The Taliban is the major Islamic party that rose from the
mujahideen who have enforced their fundamentalist ideas over
much of the country (“Consequences of the War for Afghanistan”).
civil war in Afghanistan
Divided Afghanistan
Works Cited
"Afghanistan Profile." BBC News. BBC, 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 02 Mar. 2013.
"Consequences of the War for Afghanistan." Why the Soviets Invaded Afghanistan. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2013.
<http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~cckarpov/cosequencesofthewar.html>.
"Consequences of the War for the Soviet Union." Why the Soviets Invaded Afghanistan. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2013.
<http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~cckarpov/consequencesforUSSR.html>.
Galster, Steve. "Afghanistan: The Making of U.S. Policy, 1973-1990." Volume II: Afghanistan: Lessons from the Last War. Vol. 2.
N.p.: n.p., 2001. N. pag. Print.
Momand, Wahid. "Hafizullah Amin." Afghanland.com. Afghanland, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2013.
Shaban, Sehrish. "The Soviet Occupation of Afghanistan." PBS Newshour. PBS, 10 Oct. 2006. Web. 02 Mar. 2013.
"Soviet invasion of Afghanistan". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 02 Mar. 2013
“Soviets take over in Afghanistan.” 2013. The History Channel website. Mar 2 2013, 8:05
"Why the Soviets Invaded Afghanistan." Why the Soviets Invaded Afghanistan. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2013.