The Soviet-Afghan War

The Soviet-Afghan War was fought from December 24th of 1979 to February 15th of 1989 that was primarily fought as a guerilla warfare style tactic and is one of the last modern wars to use such tactics. Basically when the Afghan's tried to turn into a communist nation, they tried to initiate a series of radical modernization reforms throughout the country which created "Soviet Afghanistan" and after this creation, it lead to opposition including the execution of thousands of political prisoners, led to the rise of antigovernmental armed groups, and by April 1979 large parts of the country were in open rebellion. However, once September of 1979 came, the President of Afghanistan named Nur Mohammad Taraki, was murdered under the orders of the second-in-command, Hafizullah Amin, which soured relations with the Soviet Union. Shortly after the president's death, the Soviet Government eventually deployed the 40th Army on Christmas Day of 1979. After finally coming to the capitol of Afghanistan, the Soviets staged a coup in Kabul and killed the newfound president Hafizullah Amin.

In January of 1980, nearly 35 nations ordered for the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan and nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and other European/World power countries helped in the aid of Afghanistan. Soviet troops occupied the cities and main arteries of communication, while the mujahidin waged guerrilla war in small groups operating in the almost 80 percent of the country that was outside government and Soviet control, almost exclusively being the rural countryside. The Soviets used their air power to deal harshly with both rebels and civilians, levelling villages to deny safe haven to the mujahidin, destroying vital irrigation ditches, and laying millions of land mines. Soon after at the 1980 Olympics held in Moscow, the US led a boycott to not attend due to Cold War tensions that were exasperated from the Soviet-Afghanistan War. This in turn angered the Soviets, which led them to boycott the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Finally, from 1988 to 1989, the Soviets finally withdrew their troops from Afghanistan and ultimately issued an end to the Soviet Empire and the rise of the Russia that we know today.