The Ever-Present Conflict: Afghanistan's Long War And The Elusive Peace

The war in Afghanistan was an armed conflict from 2001 to 2021, sparked by the September 11 attacks. It began when an international military coalition led by the United States launched an invasion of Afghanistan, declaring Operation Enduring Freedom as part of the earlier-declared war on terror. The Taliban and its allies were expelled from major population centers by the US-led forces, but Osama bin Laden relocated to neighbouring Pakistan. The conflict officially ended with the 2021 Taliban offensive, which overthrew the Islamic Republic and re-established the Islamic Emirate. It was the longest war in the military history of the United States, surpassing the length of the Vietnam War by approximately six months.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan began on Christmas Eve 1979, with the USSR air-dropping elite troops into principal Afghan cities

On Christmas Eve 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, its southern neighbour in Central Asia. The invasion began with the USSR air-dropping elite troops into principal Afghan cities, including Kabul, the country's capital. The Soviets aimed to bolster the newly established communist regime and suppress the Mujahideen rebellion against the government.

The Soviet operation involved an estimated 280 transport aircraft and three divisions of almost 8,500 men each. Airborne forces were critical in the early stages, with the elite 105th Parachute Division providing the bulk of the initial troops used to seize control of key airfields and highways. The Soviets secured Kabul airport, Bagram airfield, and the Salang Tunnel, controlling the principal points of access to the capital.

The Soviets also deployed troops to Shindand, a key western air base, and to Kandahar in the south. Within days, they had secured Kabul, deploying a special assault unit against Tajberg Palace. Babrak Karmal, the exiled leader of the Parcham faction of the Marxist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), was installed as Afghanistan's new head of government.

The Soviet invasion triggered a brutal nine-year civil war, resulting in enormous casualties. The conflict cost the lives of approximately 1 million civilians and some 125,000 combatants. It wreaked havoc on Afghanistan and severely impacted the Soviet Union's economy and national prestige, contributing to its eventual dissolution.

The invasion was an attempt to prop up a pro-Soviet government and resulted in a brutal civil war that lasted nine years

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was an attempt to prop up a pro-Soviet government and resulted in a brutal civil war that lasted nine years.

The invasion began on Christmas Eve 1979, when 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. This was the culmination of growing Soviet domination going back to 1973, when Mohammed Daoud, the former Afghan Prime Minister, launched a successful coup against King Zahir. Although Daoud himself was more nationalist than socialist, his coup was dependent on pro-Soviet military and political factions.

The invasion was a watershed event of the Cold War, marking the only time the Soviet Union invaded a country outside the Eastern Bloc. It was met with nearly worldwide condemnation, and the United States and its European allies devised numerous measures to compel Moscow to withdraw.

The invasion was also met with fierce resistance from Afghan guerrillas, who were backed by various countries and organisations, including Pakistan, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, China, Iran, and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The mujahideen waged guerrilla warfare in small groups across the 80% of the country that was not under Soviet control.

The Soviets attempted to crush the insurgency by various tactics, including the use of aerial power to bomb and depopulate the rural areas. These tactics sparked a massive flight from the countryside, with millions of Afghans seeking asylum in Pakistan and Iran. The Soviets also tried to eliminate the mujahideen's civilian support by assassinating village mullahs and headmen.

Despite the Soviets' efforts, the war quickly settled 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. The war resulted in the deaths of approximately 3,000,000 Afghans, while millions more fled from the country as refugees.

The Soviets' failure to implement a sympathetic regime in Afghanistan, combined with the high costs of the war, eventually led to the Soviet Union's withdrawal in 1989. This withdrawal was completed on February 15, 1989, and Afghanistan returned to non-aligned status.

The conflict caused the deaths of an estimated 1 million civilians and some 125,000 Afghan, Soviet and other combatants

The War in Afghanistan, which lasted from 2001 to 2021, was the longest war in US military history. It was triggered by the September 11 attacks and consisted of three phases. The first phase was to topple the Taliban, which was an ultraconservative political and religious faction that ruled Afghanistan and provided sanctuary for al-Qaeda, the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks. The second phase, from 2002 until 2008, was marked by a US strategy of defeating the Taliban militarily and rebuilding core institutions of the Afghan state. The third phase, a turn to classic counterinsurgency doctrine, began in 2008 and accelerated with US President Barack Obama’s 2009 decision to temporarily increase US troop presence in Afghanistan.

The US-led coalition remained in Afghanistan, forming a security mission (ISAF) sanctioned by the United Nations, with the goal of creating a new democratic authority in the country that would prevent the Taliban from returning to power. A new Afghan Interim Administration was established, and international rebuilding efforts were launched. However, by 2003, the Taliban had reorganised under their founder, Mullah Omar, and began a widespread insurgency against the new Afghan government and coalition forces. Insurgents from the Taliban and other Islamist groups waged asymmetric warfare, fighting with guerrilla warfare in the countryside, suicide attacks against urban targets, and reprisals against perceived Afghan collaborators.

In 2007, after more than five years of war, Western officials and analysts estimated the strength of Taliban forces at about 10,000 fighters fielded at any given time. Of that number, only 2,000 to 3,000 were highly motivated, full-time insurgents. The rest were volunteer units, made up of young Afghans angered by civilian deaths in military airstrikes and the detention of Muslim prisoners without trial. In 2010, the Taliban had as many as 25,000 dedicated soldiers, almost as many as before 9/11.

The US and its allies continued to suffer casualties as the Taliban continued their insurgency. By spring 2010, more than 1,000 US troops had been killed in Afghanistan, while the British troops suffered some 300 deaths and the Canadians some 150. The war in Afghanistan also resulted in the deaths of thousands of Afghan soldiers and police officers. Overall, the war killed an estimated 176,000–212,000+ people, including 46,319 civilians.

The war was a significant factor in the dissolution of the Soviet Union

The Soviet-Afghan War was a major conflict of the Cold War, fought between the Soviet Union and the Afghan mujahideen and their foreign allies. The war was a significant factor in the dissolution of the Soviet Union, as it contributed to the country's economic decline and loss of international prestige.

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979, sending in around 30,000 troops to support the local pro-Soviet government. The invasion triggered a brutal civil war that lasted nine years and resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1 million civilians and 125,000 combatants. The war also caused millions of Afghans to flee the country as refugees.

The war proved to be a costly endeavour for the Soviet Union, straining its military, economic, and political resources. The Soviet military was unable to effectively suppress the mujahideen rebellion, which was backed by the United States, Pakistan, and other countries. The mujahideen's guerrilla warfare tactics allowed them to elude Soviet attacks and maintain control of the rugged, mountainous countryside.

The Soviet Union's failure to establish a sympathetic regime in Afghanistan, coupled with the war's heavy human and economic toll, contributed significantly to the country's eventual collapse and breakup. The war undermined the image of the Red Army as invincible and created new forms of political participation, weakening the political hegemony of the Communist Party. Additionally, the war's negative impact on the Soviet economy and society fuelled social discontent and discontent with the government.

The Mujahideen were guerrilla fighters who opposed the Soviet forces and received support from the US, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UK, China, Iran and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf

The Mujahideen were guerrilla fighters who opposed the Soviet forces during the Soviet-Afghan War. They were made up of numerous groups that differed from each other across ethnic and/or ideological lines, but were united by their anti-communist and pro-Islamic goals. The Mujahideen were initially formed from the regular Afghan population and defectors from the Afghan military. They were aided by the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in a program called Operation Cyclone. The Mujahideen also received support from the United Kingdom, China, Saudi Arabia, and other countries and private international donors.

The Mujahideen were aided by the United States, who viewed the conflict in Afghanistan as an integral Cold War struggle. In July 1979, months before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, US President Jimmy Carter initiated a covert program through the CIA to financially support the Mujahideen. After the Soviet invasion in December 1979, the CIA expanded the program and began providing weapons and money to the Mujahideen through the Pakistani ISI. Operation Cyclone was one of the longest and most expensive covert CIA operations ever undertaken, with more than $20 billion in US funds funnelled into the country to train and arm Afghan resistance groups. The US-built Stinger antiaircraft missile, supplied to the Mujahideen in very large numbers beginning in 1986, struck a decisive blow to the Soviets.

The Mujahideen were also supported by Pakistan, who controlled which rebels received assistance. The four "fundamentalist" Mujahideen factions received most of the funding. The ISI and CIA heavily backed the Hezb-i Islami Gulbuddin faction, led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who enjoyed the largest amount of ISI and CIA funding. The ISI also controlled the flow of financial aid to the Mujahideen, cutting off monetary supply to nationalist and left-wing resistance groups.

The Mujahideen were further aided by Saudi Arabia, who matched US funding for the Mujahideen. Saudi Arabia also gathered an enormous amount of money for the Mujahideen in private donations that amounted to about $20 million per month at their peak.

The Mujahideen were also aided by the United Kingdom, China, and other countries. The UK's support for the Mujahideen turned out to be Whitehall's most extensive covert operation since the Second World War. China provided the most relevant weapons, likely due to their own experience with guerrilla warfare, and kept meticulous records of all the shipments.

The Mujahideen were also aided by private donors and religious charities throughout the Muslim world, particularly in the Persian Gulf. Jason Burke recounts that "as little as 25% of the money for the Afghan jihad was actually supplied directly by states."

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