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Afghanistan Geography
The Durand Line was originally established in 1893 as a way of separating the empires of the Soviet Union and British India, but it is now the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. This border led to the Soviet Union's influence in Afghanistan and the United States's alliance with Pakistan. The Soviet Union had wanted to spread communism to as many countries as possible, and they chose to spread communism to Afghanistan because they were so close. -
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
Before the Soviet Union invaded, a coup d'etat attempted to spread the beliefs of marxism in Afghanistan. This caused many uprisings because the majority of people did not agree with that type of government. The Soviet Union then invaded Afghanistan to stop their protests and maintain the communist government. They also wanted to gain access to the Indian ocean and the resources of Afghanistan. In response, the U.S. covertly supplied Afghans with weapons to use against the Soviet troops. -
Afghans and Guerilla Warfare
Afghans used guerilla warfare against the Soviet troops when they invaded Afghanistan. Soviet attacks on Afghans were from March 1980 to April 1985. Afghans used guerilla warfare against the Soviet troops, which included fast-paced attacks and war strategies that used small groups of people against larger ones. -
Effects of Soviet Occupation
The Soviet occupation of Afghanistan resulted in about 5 to 7 million refugees, one million people dead, and destruction of Afghanistan infrastructure. The number of people who left Afghanistan needed to live with people of different dialects and cultural practices. -
Soviet Troops withdrawn from Afghanistan
Soviet troops began to leave Afghanistan in January 1987 and all had been withdrawn by February 1989.
