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The Soviet-Afghan War and related events
A timeline of all events leading up to, during and resulting from the Soviet-Afghan War of 1979. -
Former Afghan prime minister Dauod seizes power during a military coup.
Army Lieutenant and former Prime Minister Mohammed Daoud Kahn and General Abdul Karim Mustaghni overthrew the monarchy of Afghanistan in a mostly bloodless coup. Allegations of corruption and poor economic conditions against the king were used as justification for the coup. Daoud abolished the monarchy and established a one-party, republic state. The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan rose in popularity in the army and relations with the USSR and Pakistan deteriorated. -
Afghan Army stage the Saur Revolution, establishing the socialist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.
President Daoud's regime repressed the PDPA by killing its leading member Mir Akbar Kyber, which resulted in many anti-Daoud demonstrations in Kabul. The PDPA sympathetic Afghan Army overthrew and executed Daoud and some of his family. Secretary General of the PDPA Nur Muhammad Taraki became the president of the newly established Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. Relations with the USSR were greatly strengthened, and many changes in women's rights and human rights were introduced. -
U.S ambassador to Afghanistan Adolph Dubs is kidnapped and killed.
The ambassador was carjacked by a group of supposed Islamists demanding the release of prisoners by the DRA, who took Dubs to the Kabul Hotel. The U.S embassy pleaded the Afghan Police to look for a negotiation, but under Soviet orders they attacked Room 117 where Dubs was being held. The Police and a number of Soviet officials opened fire, and Dubs was killed in the crossfire. Despite reducing their presence in the DRA, the U.S used this as justification to send military aid to the Mujahideen. -
The USSR begins to send mass amounts of military aid to the DRA.
Following pro-Islamist revolts against President Taraki's socialist government, the USSR began to send mass amounts of military aid to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA) in an attempt to uphold its communist interests in the country. The revolts by the Islamist groups were largely caused by land and rights reforms. The Mujahideen saw Communism and Marxism as a threat to Islam ideals. The increased socialist presence in Afghanistan only heightened pro-Islam sentiments. -
President Taraki is assassinated.
On September 14th President Taraki was arrested by the Afghan Army after they had been placed on high alert by rival politician Hafizullah Amin, who had been fired upon by Taraki's bodyguards when visiting the presidential palace. The Soviets tried to convince Amin to release Taraki but he refused. After a communication error Taraki was killed nearly a month later under Amin's orders. Amin would become president and request increased Soviet presence to combat the Islamist insurgent groups. -
Soviet Politburo vote to invade Afghanistan.
The Soviet Politburo's inner circle began to fear of an Iranian-Islamist revolution in Afghanistan, plus they began to become wary of President Amin's supposed secret meetings with U.S diplomats. As a result they voted for a Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to counter the Islamist insurgents and to uphold socialism in the DRA. -
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan begins.
After the Politburo votes to invade Afghanistan, the Soviet Defence Ministry announces its orders to senior staff to send troops into Afghanistan. Simultaneously, Spetsnaz Commandos capture key installations in Kabul in order to apprehend President Amin. This marked the beginning of the Soviet-Afghan War. -
President Amin is assassinated and Babrak Karmal becomes president.
Soviet commandos kill President Hafizullah Amin and the USSR installs Babrak Karmal as the new president of the DRA. Simultaneously the Red Army had deployed thousands of troops by both ground and air. As a result the DRA would have even stronger ties with the USSR, hostilities with the Mujahideen escalating even further into a full blown war. Karmal would later be succeeded by Mohammed Najibullah in 1986. -
Resistance intensifies and Soviet Union sends upwards of 80,000 troops.
The Mujahideen begin to grow in strength as they start to receive arms and money from the U.S, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The USSR send in more than 80,000 troops into Afghanistan, which results with the U.S boycotting the Moscow Olympics. -
Two Mujahideen coalitions are formed (moderate & fundamentalist).
Between June and August of 1981, the Mujahideen forms two separate coalitions, one based on being moderate, the other based on fundamentalism. This formation came about due to pressure from the U.S, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The Mujahideen guerillas would become a more organised and effective fighting force as a result. -
United Nations calls for Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The United Nations General Assembly called for the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. As the Soviets refuse, the opinion of the international community on the war turns bitter, and public opinion of the USSR, the DRA and the war slowly begins to deteriorate. -
More than 5 million Afghans are displaced by the war.
By 1985 it was estimated that there was upwards of 5 million Afghan war refugees, most fleeing to Iran and Pakistan. This number attracts even more attention from the international community. Simultaneously, newly appointed Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev sends in even more troops in order to bring a quick end to the war. It results in 1985 being the bloodiest year of the war. -
Mujahideen supplied with Stinger anti-aircraft missile by the United States.
In September 1986 the CIA began to supply outfits of the Mujahideen with the FIM-92 Stinger anti-aircraft missile. The U.S would report a great increase of Soviet and DRA aircraft shot down after the Stinger's introduction, however the claims were heavily disputed by Soviet analysts. The export of the missile to the Mujahideen was evidence of the war being a Cold War proxy war. However, the U.S was criticised for arming the same Islamic militants who would later become the Taliban and Al Qaeda. -
Geneva Accords regarding the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The 1988 Geneva peace accords were signed by Afghanistan and Pakistan with the U.S and USSR serving as guarantors. The accord included the agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan regarding mutual relations, the voluntary return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan and the timetable for the withdrawal of Soviet armed forces from Afghanistan. Over the next nine months the USSR would slowly transport its troops from the DRA. This would effectively result in the end of the Soviet-Afghan War. -
The last Soviet troops leave Afghanistan, marking the end of the Soviet-Afghan War.
On February the 15th, Soldiers and armoured vehicles of the Soviet 40th Army crossed the bridge from Afghanistan to the USSR, completing the withdrawal of Soviet armed forces from the DRA. General Gromov was the very last to cross the "Bridge of Friendship". This day marked the very end of the 9 year Soviet-Afghan War which killed 14,453 Soviet troops, 18,000 DRA troops, 75,000-90,000 Mujahideen and 562,000-2,000,000 Afghan civilians. The defeat contributed to the USSR's collapse 2 years later. -
Afghanistan continues to fight civil war until DRA President Najibullah is overthrown.
As a result of the Soviet-Afghan War, a civil war between the Mujahideen and the army of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan would continue till 1992, without the presence of Soviet armed forces. The USSR however would continue to support the DRA with aid till their own collapse in 1991. In April 1992 President Mohammed Najibullah. The DRA collapsed, but another civil war between different groups of the Mujahideen would ensue, continuing until 1996. -
Afghan Civil War continues between Mujahideen groups, ending with Taliban takeover of Kabul.
After the collapse of the DRA and the execution of President Najibullah, the Taliban and Al Qaeda fight with multiple other Mujahideen groups, including the Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin and Shura-e Nazar. In september 1996 the Taliban takeover Kabul and subsequently the whole country, establishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. During the conflict thousands of civilians were killed, thousands more being horribly mistreated. As a result of the Taliban takeover, civil war would continue till 2001. -
September 11 attacks.
The 9/11 attacks were the worst acts of terror ever to occur on American soil. Two hijacked airliners would crash into and destroy both the south and north towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City, along with another plane crashing into the Pentagon. Many people claimed the support of the Mujahideen with U.S weapons during the Soviet-Afghan War was partly to blame for the disaster. The U.S would lead an invasion of Afghanistan as a result, along with the War on Terror soon after. -
Afghan Civil War ends with U.S led invasion of Afghanistan.
As a result of the September 11 attacks, the United States leads an invasion of Afghanistan in order to bring down the Taliban government. Other nations on the side of the Americans include Great Britain, Canada, Germany, Australia and the Afghan Northern Alliance. The latter had been fighting the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since 1996. After the successful invasion and establishment of a new government by the Northern Alliance, the War on Terror would continue through to the present day.
