Soviet actions in afghan books

I learned more about the details of this war in a single chapter from this book than i have in all the other books combined. Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan war jalali, ali ahmad, grau, lester w. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The last two major offensives occurred in 1982 but were driven back after the soviet forces. We will not remove any content for bad language alone, or for being critical of a book.

The christian science monitor is an international news organization that delivers thoughtful, global coverage via its website, weekly magazine, online daily edition, and email newsletters. Several major actions taken by the united states and coalition in the last 18 years share much in common with the efforts of the soviet union during its combat operations in the country 19791989. The other side of the mountain mujahideen tactics in the. The soviet invasion and the afghan response, 19791982 new ed by kakar, m. Soviet voices from the afghanistan war by svetlana alexievich, the sovietafghan war. The shoulderfired, heatseeking missile supplied to the afghan resistance by the cia during the soviet invasion of afghanistan, is capable of bringing down lowflying planes and helicopters. The soviet war in afghanistan lasted nine years from december 1979 to february 1989. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 by.

The soviet war in afghanistan in pictures, 19791989. Afghan book author was never in sas uk news the guardian. Kennedy school of government, from 1995 to 1997, subsequently. While bin laden would likely have existed without the safe haven he found in afghanistan, his ability to train and draw followers so freely and with impunity is partially blowback from actions taken by the cia, pakistan, and saudi arabia during the sovietafghan war as money and weapons poured into the country. The documents presented here shed light on the most important moments in the history of the soviet war in afghanistan the afghan government s requests for assistance, the soviet union s initial refusal of troops, the reversal of this policy by a small group of the politburo and the soviet decision to invade. In the book shantaram by gregory david roberts, he describes his experiences fighting with the mujahideen in. Russians said to gain in afghan push the new york times. Among the options open to the united states is a major propaganda campaign to inform soviet moslems of the actions against the afghan tribesmen who are in. The author, brigadier mohammad yousaf, was head of the afghan bureau of pakistans interservice intelligence and as such was commendably the mujahideens commanderinchief. Recently i received a 1991 book entitled combat actions of soviet forces in the republic of afghanistan. Sovietafghan war, 182,000 results, soviet war in afghanistan, 267,000 results. Sovietafghan war operations this document is designed to be used with the soviet afghan war scenario location map.

Also important is milt beardens two books on the war, the main enemy. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. The soviet union intervened in support of the afghan communist government in its conflict with anticommunist muslim guerrillas during the afghan war 197892 and remained in afghanistan until midfebruary 1989. He follows this account with a firsthand report of the 1979 invasion, and analyzes the intervention from political, military, and economic perspectives.

Soviet combat tactics in afghanistan had help deciphering the russian general staff papers from gress, a soviet migr who served in the soviet army. The only content we will consider removing is spam, slanderous attacks on other members, or extremely offensive content eg. This monograph examines the soviet experience in afghanistan 19791988 in terms of soviet army tactics and organizatio. China responded to the soviet war in afghanistan by supporting the mujahideen and ramping up their military presence near afghanistan in xinjiang.

The main body of the book is about soviet army and air force tactics, operations, and armaments. A study in the use of force in soviet foreign policy. The sovietafghan war anthony tuckerjones this photographic history of the sovietafghan war of 1979 to 1989 gives a fascinating insight into a grim conflict that prefigured the americanled campaign in. He is also a former interior minister of afghanistan, serving in that position from january 2003 to september 2005. The war in afghanistan and its effects on the soviet economy. The sovietafghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the.

Soviet invasion of afghanistan, invasion of afghanistan in late december 1979 by troops from the soviet union. The soviet invasion of afghanistan in december 1979 was roundly. Is the us still supporting pakistan, saudi arabia selling arms to them etc or does it ignore the whole conflict. As a general rule we do not censor any content on the site. This is the 7th book on the sovietafghan war ive read, and lester grau kept up his reputation with this book for historical investigative detail. The war in afghanistan had a major impact on domestic politics in the soviet union. The sovietafghan war had an important impact in popular culture in the west, due to its scope. The author of a bestselling book describing his exploits with the sas and his time training afghan guerrillas was last night revealed never to have served in the regiment. Existing explanations attribute the breakdown of the soviet union to the reformist leadership of gorbachev, andor to systemic factors. The soviet invasion of its neighbour afghanistan in december 1979 sparked a bloody nineyear conflict in that country until soviet forces withdrew in 198889, dooming the communist afghanistan government to defeat at the hands of the mujahideen, the afghan popular resistance backed by the usa and other powers. The photos, starting in 1988, span afghanistans immediate postsoviet era, the agonizing civil war of the 1990s, the period of taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, the u. He controlled the flow of thousands of tons of arms across pakistan and into its occupied neighbor, arms that were acquired with cia and saudi arabian funds from the usa. The eventual defeat of the soviet union in this conflict, contrary to earlier accounts, was caused more by soviet factors than anything else, including ronald reagan and american aid.

Print joseph collins explores the relations between the soviet union and afghanistan, and how the manipulation of those relations by both parties led to the crippling of the soviet union. Will stick to authored books on the subject from here on out. A soldiers story of life, death and combat on the afghan front line by. How a superpower fought and lost modern war studies by the russian general staff, lester w. The peshawar seven insurgents received military training in neighboring pakistan and china, as well as. Maceachin was an officerinresidence at harvard universitys john f. In december 1979, soviet troops first entered afghanistan in. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned. Sadly abit dry, to be expected though since its simply the direct translation of the soviet high commands write up of their participation and the break down of support structures during the soviet afghan war. Afghan political factions, leaders, the human rights and refugee. Over 15,000 soviet troops got killed in afghanistan from 1979 until 1989. Beginning in 1985, the cia supplied mujaheddin rebels with extensive satellite reconnaissance data of soviet targets on the afghan battlefield, plans for military operations based on the satellite. The war in afghanistan 19791989 has been called the soviet unions vietnam war, a conflict that pitted soviet regulars against a relentless, elusive, and ultimately unbeatable afghan guerrilla force the mujahideen.

More than 15,000 soviet soldiers died there, and probably more than a million afghan civilians. The intelligence communitys record douglas maceachin served as cias deputy director for intelligence from 1993 to 1995 during his thirtytwo year career at cia. Does it stand back and use the billions of dollars of military aid that it would have otherwise. I dont think these should be directly compared as war in afghanistan appears to be coming up in some of the latter search results, but i just think we need to be careful in considering search results. This book will inform the readers on every aspect of soviet operations inside afghanistan, from logistical and medical issues, to largescale motorized infantry. The afghan prosoviet communists supported chinas thenenemy vietnam and blamed china for supporting afghan anticommunist militants. The book relates a group of stories by location and type of activity and then critiques the tactics of the mujahideen and their enemies in these combat actions. Rambo iii 1988 was an action movie with sylvester stallone set within the soviet invasion of afghanistan. More than eight years after they intervened in afghanistan to support the procommunist government, soviet troops begin their withdrawal. In his enlightening and refreshing book, largely based on russian. This is the seventh attempt by soviet troops and afghan government soldiers to capture the panjshir. The soviet documents show that ending the war in afghanistan, which soviet general secretary mikhail gorbachev called the bleeding wound, was among his highest priorities from the moment he assumed power in 1985 a point he made clear to thenafghan communist leader babrak karmal in their first conversation on march 14, 1985. Andrei sakharov openly said the action of soviet army in afghanistan was wrong.

The soviet leadership wanted an afghanistan that would be similar to other soviet. Around a million afghan men, women and children died in the war. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned dave shunk 26 december 2008 col dave shunk, usaf, ret. As a consequence of daouds actions, afghanistans relations with soviet union deteriorated. Beginning in 1984, soviet forces in afghanistan began to experiment with new and more aggressive tactics against the mujaheddin, based on the use of soviet special forces, called the spetsnaz, in helicopterborne assaults on afghan rebel supply lines.

The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union. The three misunderstandings of soviet counterinsurgency in. Ali ahmad jalali born 1940 is an afghan american and a distinguished professor at the near east south asia center for strategic studies of the united states national defense university. The first official deployment of the soviet army into the kingdom of afghanistan began dec. The event marked the beginning of the end to a long, bloody, and fruitless soviet occupation of afghanistan. Carter calls soviet actions a threat the new york times. It is therefore incumbent upon any student of the current conflict to firmly understand the soviet conflict, its doctrine, execution, and most importantly, the soviet methods of counterinsurgency. In the war, the soviet army also lost hundreds of aircraft, and billions worth of other military machines. In the 1980s, it grew to become the biggest american covert action of the cold war. This monograph examines the soviet experience in afghanistan 19791988 in terms of soviet army tactics and organization for combat. A specially equipped c141 starlifter transport carrying william casey touched down at a military air base south of islamabad in october 1984 for a secret visit by the cia director to plan strategy for the war against soviet forces in afghanistan.

Minutes of conversation between brezhnev and honecker, and andropovgromykoustinovponomarevs reports to brezhnev in the summer and fall of 1979 shed light on soviet thinking on wider geostrategic implications of the situation in afghanistan, the impact of the iranian revolution in the region, perceived u. Are there any good books about the sovietafghan war. Baumann when on 2425 december 1979 soviet forces invaded afghanistan, they intended to conduct a. The book is mainly a collection of first hand accounts of mujahideen leaders and fighters of their logistics and fighting tactics against the soviet forces and the soviet trained, communist controlled afghan army in the 1980s. The united states has been in the afghan jihad for a very long time. Soviet actions in afghanistan and initiative at the. The breakdown of the soviet union surprised most scholars of international relations, comparative politics, and soviet politics. Read soviet actions in afghanistan and initiative at the tactical level. Gregory feifers book about the soviet experience in afghanistan is the best i. Exclusive prose with his unfolds personal experiences brigadier mohammad yousaf was born in 1937 and took his commission as an infantry officer into the frontier defence force regiment of the pakistan army ff6. The september 11th sourcebooks national security archive. The sovietafghan war lasted over nine years from december 1979 to february 1989. The sovietafghan war one of the seminal events of the late twentieth century, a.