Soviet Afghanistan War Strategy

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan just to see themselves as the big “Losers” of the war. The defeat of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan was a serious blow to the prestige of the Army, to national pride and faith in the soviet political leaders. The scars it left on many of the remaining soldiers created social and political problems. A reform of the military was necessary. In the midst of all these turmoil, “there was also corruption and inefficiency within the states bureaucracy” (p.3 smitha.com) and nothing seemed to get done. The soviet people and some Eastern European countries were fed up of all these ongoing problems the Soviet Union was facing. The soviet people were fed up with the high communist party which stood ground and dominated the entire soviet politics, as this was the only party in the states since Stalin’s regime. The party had become rigid and corrupt which discouraged younger party members who saw little chance of advancement. At this stage corruption was the order of the soviet system of government which buoyed lack of commitment to the government.

The Mujahideen would prove to be too powerful of a foe for the Afghan army to control so the Soviets took charge. More than 100,000 Soviet troops would control major cities and towns, making the Mujahideen move to the Afghanistan mountains and countryside. Most of the battles would occur in the mountains with the Soviet army with helicopter support trying to lure the Mujahideen out of the mountains. The mountains and countryside would provide the Mujahideen with the ultimate hiding spots and able to use guerilla tactics. The Soviets would bomb civilian locations near the mountains and countryside to cutoff support to the Mujahedeen but this failed with civilians fleeing from Afghanistan to nearby countries like Pakistan and Iran. The Soviet army was no match for the climate in Afghanistan and the religious determination of the Mujahideen. The Mujahideen was able to gain the upperhand when shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles were supplied to them by United States through Pakistan and other equipment by Muslim supporting groups. The Mujahideen was not organized into one big fighting force but comprised of different sects fighting to dispel Soviet forces. With now acquiring weapons from outside sources and being joined by Muslim volunteers from all over the world, the Mujahideen were able to defeat the mighty Soviet Union.

For over 2 centuries, Afghanistan has known virtually no time without war. Beginning around 326 B.C. with the conquests of Alexander the Great, to the Persians, British, Russians and most recently, America and our NATO allies, Afghanistan has been cultivated into the country that it is today through a trial by fire. Regardless of this relentless onslaught of foreign military power, the Afghan people have tirelessly defended their homeland with no outside power ever being able to subdue them completely. Following the withdrawal of the Soviet Union in 1989, the country fell into civil war, torn even further apart by fiercely dedicated tribal warlords. This power vacuum led to the rise of a group called the Taliban. Led by a one eyed man

When the soviet union invaded afghanistan the war lasted for 9 years 1979-1989. Between 1 million to 1.5 million people were killed in that war and millions of people when to a diffrent countries such as pakistan or iran as refugees. The United States supported Afghanistan by supplying arms to the Mujahadeen. Ronald Reagan sent billions of dollars to the Mujahadeen so he can help Jihad against the Soviet Union. “Reagan believed this defense shield could make nuclear war impossible. Reagan deployed CIA special activities division paramilitary officers to train, equip and lend the Mujahideen battalion against the Soviet army”. Reagan’s objective was winning the Cold War and the rollback of communism. The United States also offered financial and

“We lost the war in southern Afghanistan and it broke my heart.” This statement used by Graeme Smith in the introduction to his book, The Dogs are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistan, sets the tone for the rest of the book. Although foreign forces had, arguably, the best of intentions going into the war, the Taliban always regrouped and reappeared, often larger and harder to defeat than before, no matter how tremendous their losses were in previous battles. International forces did what they thought was essential for rebuilding of Afghanistan, including the elimination of the Taliban through air strikes and poppy eradication, even though they did not truly understand the needs and priorities of Afghan citizens and were constantly perceived negatively by the Afghan civilians. In an accessible method, Smith provides general knowledge about how the intervention on the behalf of the international community impacted the country and its people. This book also leaves me with reflections on the dynamic between insurgents and villagers and how the international forces could have helped to prevent a power vacuum from occurring during the years where most foreign forces pulled out of Afghanistan.

Mr. Chandrasekaran's thesis is that the Afghans could have prospered in their own terms and The United States could have achieved its objectives if the United States had taken a long view from the beginning of its involvement in Afghanistan. The U.S. approach was almost entirely short-term in its strategy and tactics. Lack of coordination between the U.S. military and civil departments / agencies rendered the strategy almost ineffective.

From the giant gap between the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan War, there was a massive amount of time to prepare more weapons and technology use in the Army and any military program. In terms of resources, a large influence has been made to keep soldiers on the battlefield and even those behind desks working coordinates and maps for soldiers prepared and ready to fight. Unlike in the Vietnam War and Civil War where most times there were not enough supplies to continue the war and or just not enough charisma and enthusiasm to keep morale high, which eventually led to the end of both wars, the Afghanistan War carries much morale and supplies to finish the war. From the simple musket to the M16, to the wide variety of an arsenal the U.S. army now has at its disposal, this war is much better off than the last few we had encountered. The Afghanistan issue is a much more handled war than the other wars as well. With the fact that the U.S. Army is the most powerful military force in the world, it is an intimidating enemy. During the Vietnam War, we were powerful but unprepared. In the Civil War, both sides were powerful, but unprepared and unskilled in combat. Though combat is frowned upon by most people in the world, it has come a long way from the 100 year gap of wars fought with

Corruption within the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police has significantly benefited the Taliban insurgent group to remain powerful and continue their operations against the U.S. military in Afghanistan. According to an Afghan security analyst interviewed by Shah and Rubin (2015) ‘There is huge demoralization at all levels that derives from corruption… a bunch of corrupt commanders are selling weapons, selling ammunition, [and]

7) “Soviet personnel also appear to be stationed in considerable numbers at Bagram Air Force Base north of Kabul, where they apparently service the airlift from the Soviet Union.” The U.S.S.R had increased the number of military and civilian advisors dramatically since the coup; the civilian advisors had taken managerial positions in the Afghan ministries (CIA, 1979, p. 8). These facts point to the possibility that the U.S.S.R.’s dedication to controlling Afghanistan was steadfast and the military invasion would happen no matter if the U.S. supported the insurgents or not.

After years of battle, the mujahideen caused a lot of casualties to the Soviet forces which made the war expensive for them. As a result, in 1989 the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan. Unfortunately, this was not the end of the bloodshed. The mujahedin began fighting against each other for control in Kabul.

The Counter Insurgency operations in Vietnam have taught the U.S. a lot that can be applied to Afghanistan. According to Phillips (2015) “Although our understanding and steadfast support can make a significant difference, ultimate success depends on

The Afghani experience with the Soviet Union is nothing like Central Asian-Russian relations. Ideologically Russia had the same goal for both Central Asia and Afghanistan, hoping that one day both Central Asia and Afghanistan will eventually become Communist nations. The route chose to accomplish this goal did not pan out as planned. Central Asian countries were first invaded in 1715 and again in 1865, there was little to no resistance. Russia came with economic interest and nothing else, the search for gold and the prospect of the Fergana Valley cotton industry. They lived parallel lives, did not mix with the locals or even attempt to implement themselves in Central Asian government. Central Asia never had the ability to defend itself from Russia and Russia had a legitimate geostrategic interest in controlling the region keeping it safe from any ground forces attacking Russia. As for Afghanistan the only possible benefit of conquering it is to conquer it before Britain does, and since Britain was so unsuccessful at all its attempts that was not an issue. Most of Britain’s reasoning for invading Afghanistan came from Afghanistan’s acceptance of Russian relations.

The Mujahideen were much more familiar with the many caves and caverns of the mountainous region of Afghanistan. This made the T-62, the main Soviet battle tank, and heavy trucks obsolete in the winding narrow passes, for they were easy and slow targets with very little room to escape if ambushed. Shoulder fired Stinger antiaircraft missiles made short work of low flying helicopter gunships such as the Mi-24 Hind gunship (“Soviet Air”). The equivalent of these deadly Soviet gunships would be the Apache helicopters used by the U.S. military, just to give you an image of what constantly roared over the heads of the Mujahideen. Stingers only really worked on airborne targets so the rebels used traditional RPGs on tanks, trucks, and clusters of soldiers (“Afghanistan”). The Soviets also used paratroop APCs (Armored Personnel Carriers) such as the inefficient BTR-60 and its replacement the BTR-70 to combat the Mujahideen with various success and

The utilization of airborne troops to seize major airports provided Soviet held locations for the influx of logistical support, combined with the simultaneous invasion of land forces (Prague Spring, 1968, p. 5). However, the similarities of the two invasions would eventually lead to the demise of Soviet forces in Afghanistan. The Soviet invasion force based on Soviet Airland battle doctrine was largely division-centric, designed to counter the conventional warfare threat that existed in central Europe against equivalent NATO forces. Predominantly mechanized and motorized, its composition was not conducive to fighting in the restricted terrain of Afghanistan. Consequently, given that the Red Army was very adept at seizing key infrastructure in urban areas, fused with the Kremlin’s plan of training and equipping the Afghan Army to control the rural areas, they expected to stabilize Afghanistan within two to three

They had president Amin put to death and then president Babrak Karmal took control over Afghanistan. “The Mujahideen was a formidable opponent. They used old rifles but instead had knowledge of the mountains and terrain around Kabul. The russians responded by Napalm, poison gas, and the helicopter gun ships.”-(History Learning). Despite being out gunned the Mujaneed were not outnumbered. The young Russian soldiers were no match for men driven by their religious reliefs. “ Around 13000 Soviet were killed in the war. It’s estimated that over 1 million afghans died in the war. Most of the these were civilians, not soldiers.”- (Ducksters). With the massive amount of people who died from the war, around 2 million people fled Afghanistan because of the war. As the war continued with little success for the Soviet Union, it seemed that the war was becoming a huge