What was the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979?

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan occurred in late December 1979, when troops from the Soviet Union entered the country. This intervention supported the Afghan communist government in its conflict against anti-communist Muslim rebels, known as the mujahideen, during the Afghan War (1978–92). The Soviet Union remained in Afghanistan until February 1989. The invasion followed a coup in April 1978 that brought Marxist-Leninist groups to power, who then established close ties with the Soviet Union and initiated unpopular reforms. Insurgencies arose, prompting the Soviet intervention to support their client state. Despite initial aims, the conflict became a protracted quagmire for the Soviet Union, contributing to its eventual collapse.

Why did the Soviet Union decide to invade Afghanistan?

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979 to support the Afghan communist government in its conflict with anti-communist Muslim mujahideen rebels. The Afghan communist government, established in April 1978, had forged close ties with the Soviet Union but faced widespread opposition due to its radical reforms and lack of popular support. Internal strife within the Afghan government also prompted the Soviet intervention, aiming to stabilize the client state and install a more favorable leader. The Soviet troops remained in Afghanistan until February 1989.

Which countries were involved in the conflict besides the Soviet Union and Afghanistan?

While the Soviet Union and Afghanistan were the primary combatants in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, several other countries played significant roles. The United States, along with Pakistan, China, and several European and Arab states, provided financial and military aid to the mujahideen resistance. Iran also supported an ethnic Shiite resistance group among the Hazara. These external supporters aimed to bog down the Soviet army and bleed Moscow economically.

How did the Afghan people resist the Soviet invasion?

The Afghan people resisted the Soviet invasion through a widespread guerrilla insurgency known as the mujahideen . These groups, drawing inspiration from Islam, launched attacks against Soviet forces and the Afghan communist government. Initially poorly equipped, the mujahideen gradually improved their combat capabilities and acquired more advanced weaponry, including shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles supplied by the United States and other countries. This resistance, coupled with internal Afghan army desertions and the challenging terrain, contributed to the Soviet Union's eventual withdrawal in 1989. The conflict also led to a massive displacement of Afghan civilians, with millions fleeing to neighboring countries.

What impact did the invasion have on Afghanistan and its people?

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the subsequent civil war profoundly disrupted the country's population patterns and economic development. Agricultural production declined, leading to food shortages, and industrial output stagnated, with exceptions for industries deemed essential by the Soviet Union. The conflict caused mass movements of people, with millions emigrating to Pakistan and Iran, or resettling internally to areas like Kabul, which nearly doubled in population. By the late 1980s, an estimated one-third of the Afghan population were refugees. Decades of war continued to devastate population stability, with millions displaced internally and externally due to ongoing conflict, economic hardship, drought, and the Afghanistan War.

How did the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan affect the Cold War and the world?

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 significantly impacted the Cold War and the world. The Soviet Union intervened to support the Afghan communist government against anti-communist mujahideen rebels, remaining until 1989. This prolonged conflict became a quagmire for the Soviet Union, contributing to its eventual disintegration . The United States supported the mujahideen, supplying arms that helped neutralize Soviet air power. The war also led to a massive refugee crisis, with millions fleeing to Pakistan and Iran. Furthermore, foreign volunteers, including those who would later form al-Qaeda , joined the mujahideen, contributing to the rise of global Islamic extremism.

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

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A Soviet tank with soldiers rides down a rural road past buildings and a group of civilians during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979.

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; Afghan War

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Date:: December 1979

Location:: Afghanistan

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Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

1979

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Top Questions

What was the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979?
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan occurred in late December 1979, when troops from the Soviet Union entered the country. This intervention supported the Afghan communist government in its conflict against anti-communist Muslim rebels, known as the mujahideen, during the Afghan War (1978–92). The Soviet Union remained in Afghanistan until February 1989.

The invasion followed a coup in April 1978 that brought Marxist-Leninist groups to power, who then established close ties with the Soviet Union and initiated unpopular reforms. Insurgencies arose, prompting the Soviet intervention to support their client state. Despite initial aims, the conflict became a protracted quagmire for the Soviet Union, contributing to its eventual collapse.
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Why did the Soviet Union decide to invade Afghanistan?
The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979 to support the Afghan communist government in its conflict with anti-communist Muslim mujahideen rebels. The Afghan communist government, established in April 1978, had forged close ties with the Soviet Union but faced widespread opposition due to its radical reforms and lack of popular support. Internal strife within the Afghan government also prompted the Soviet intervention, aiming to stabilize the client state and install a more favorable leader. The Soviet troops remained in Afghanistan until February 1989.
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2. Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
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Which countries were involved in the conflict besides the Soviet Union and Afghanistan?
While the Soviet Union and Afghanistan were the primary combatants in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, several other countries played significant roles. The United States, along with Pakistan, China, and several European and Arab states, provided financial and military aid to the mujahideen resistance. Iran also supported an ethnic Shiite resistance group among the Hazara. These external supporters aimed to bog down the Soviet army and bleed Moscow economically.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did the Afghan people resist the Soviet invasion?
The Afghan people resisted the Soviet invasion through a widespread guerrilla insurgency known as the mujahideen. These groups, drawing inspiration from Islam, launched attacks against Soviet forces and the Afghan communist government. Initially poorly equipped, the mujahideen gradually improved their combat capabilities and acquired more advanced weaponry, including shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles supplied by the United States and other countries. This resistance, coupled with internal Afghan army desertions and the challenging terrain, contributed to the Soviet Union's eventual withdrawal in 1989. The conflict also led to a massive displacement of Afghan civilians, with millions fleeing to neighboring countries.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What impact did the invasion have on Afghanistan and its people?
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the subsequent civil war profoundly disrupted the country's population patterns and economic development. Agricultural production declined, leading to food shortages, and industrial output stagnated, with exceptions for industries deemed essential by the Soviet Union.

The conflict caused mass movements of people, with millions emigrating to Pakistan and Iran, or resettling internally to areas like Kabul, which nearly doubled in population. By the late 1980s, an estimated one-third of the Afghan population were refugees. Decades of war continued to devastate population stability, with millions displaced internally and externally due to ongoing conflict, economic hardship, drought, and the Afghanistan War.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan affect the Cold War and the world?
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 significantly impacted the Cold War and the world. The Soviet Union intervened to support the Afghan communist government against anti-communist mujahideen rebels, remaining until 1989. This prolonged conflict became a quagmire for the Soviet Union, contributing to its eventual disintegration. The United States supported the mujahideen, supplying arms that helped neutralize Soviet air power. The war also led to a massive refugee crisis, with millions fleeing to Pakistan and Iran. Furthermore, foreign volunteers, including those who would later form al-Qaeda, joined the mujahideen, contributing to the rise of global Islamic extremism.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, invasion of Afghanistan in late December 1979 by troops from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union intervened in support of the Afghan communist government in its conflict with anti-communist Muslim guerrillas during the Afghan War (1978–92) and remained in Afghanistan until mid-February 1989.

In April 1978 Afghanistan’s centrist government, headed by Pres. Mohammad Daud Khan, was overthrown by left-wing military officers led by Nur Mohammad Taraki. Power was thereafter shared by two Marxist-Leninist political groups, the People’s (Khalq) Party and the Banner (Parcham) Party—which had earlier emerged from a single organization, the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan—and had reunited in an uneasy coalition shortly before the coup. The new government, which had little popular support, forged close ties with the Soviet Union, launched ruthless purges of all domestic opposition, and began extensive land and social reforms that were bitterly resented by the devoutly Muslim and largely anti-communist population. Insurgencies arose against the government among both tribal and urban groups, and all of these—known collectively as the mujahideen (Arabic mujāhidūn, “those who engage in jihad”)—were Islamic in orientation.

These uprisings, along with internal fighting and coups within the government between the People’s and Banner factions, prompted the Soviets to invade the country on the night of December 24, 1979, sending in some 30,000 troops and toppling the short-lived presidency of People’s leader Hafizullah Amin. The aim of the Soviet operation was to prop up their new but faltering client state, now headed by Banner leader Babrak Karmal, but Karmal was unable to attain significant popular support. Backed by the United States, the mujahideen rebellion grew, spreading to all parts of the country. The Soviets initially left the suppression of the rebellion to the Afghan army, but the latter was beset by mass desertions and remained largely ineffective throughout the war.

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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 troops tried to crush the insurgency by various tactics, but the guerrillas generally eluded their attacks. The Soviets then attempted to eliminate the mujahideen’s civilian support by bombing and depopulating the rural areas. These tactics sparked a massive flight from the countryside; by 1982 some 2.8 million Afghans had sought asylum in Pakistan, and another 1.5 million had fled to Iran. The mujahideen were eventually able to neutralize Soviet air power through the use of shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles supplied by the Soviet Union’s Cold War adversary, the United States.

The mujahideen were fragmented politically into a handful of independent groups, and their military efforts remained uncoordinated throughout the war. The quality of their arms and combat organization gradually improved, however, owing to experience and to the large quantity of arms and other war matériel shipped to the rebels, via Pakistan, by the United States and other countries and by sympathetic Muslims from throughout the world. In addition, an indeterminate number of Muslim volunteers—popularly termed “Afghan-Arabs,” regardless of their ethnicity—traveled from all parts of the world to join the opposition.

The war in Afghanistan became a quagmire for what by the late 1980s was a disintegrating Soviet Union. (The Soviets suffered some 15,000 dead and many more injured.) Despite having failed to implement a sympathetic regime in Afghanistan, in 1988 the Soviet Union signed an accord with the United States, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and agreed to withdraw its troops. The Soviet withdrawal was completed on February 15, 1989, and Afghanistan returned to nonaligned status.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

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