Soviet war in afghanistan books

Afghanistan war, 197892, conflict between anticommunist muslim afghan guerrillas mujahidin and afghan government and soviet forces. December 24, 1979 februar 15, 1989 9 years, 1 month, 3 weeks and 1 day location. 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. This revived tensions between the united states and the soviet union and helped usher in what many dubbed the second cold war.

For many years, western scholarship on the sovietafghan war was limited to a. The soviet war in afghanistan in pictures, 19791989. Mujahideen fighters in afghanistan during the soviet occupation of the early 1980s. Based on five clandestine trips into afghanistan with the resistance, the book examines why the soviets invaded in 1979 and what they were seeking to defend. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and afghan assistance fighters, supporter from abroad. A reading list of modern war stories the new york times. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an. The extraordinary story of the largest covert operation in history by crile, george. Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the opposition,called the mujahedeen, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. Andrew exum recommends the best books for understanding the war in afghanistan. The soviet withdrawal from afghanistan 1989 national. Are there any good books about the sovietafghan war. The soviet war in afghanistan lasted nine years from december 1979 to february 1989.

The author analyses their deliberate policy of migratory genocide through a. Best iraq and afghanistan war books some of the best books out there about the wars in iraq and afghanistan. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground. In short order, nearly 100,000 soviet soldiers took control of major. Specifically books that arent too dry and also focus on the american supported afghani mujahedeen that fought against the soviets. Counterinsurgency in afghanistan and pakistan, 20012011, describes the lessons learned after ten years of war in afghanistan. All around waited islamic fundamentalists who had spent the last eight years fighting the red army and the government it had installed in kabul. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden, from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 by steve coll. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. The soviet invasion had enormous implications on the global stage. In the context of the cold war, this move initially caused a considerable surprise and excitement in the west, as it was seen as an indirect threat for the situation in the persian gulf, especially after the us lost their most important ally in the area, the shah of iran, which was overthrown in february of the same year. Best books about the soviet invasion of afghanistan. 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. In gripping detail, he vividly depicts the invasion of a volatile country that no power has ever successfully conquered.

Afghanistan history soviet occupation, 19791989 juvenile literature. The best books on understanding the war in afghanistan. Collins understanding war in afghanistan is an excellent primer on a hugely complex conflict. The soviet afghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen, as well as smaller maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war against the soviet army and the democratic republic of afghanistan government for over nine years, throughout the 1980s, mostly in the afghan countryside. A darkly comic satire set at a forward operating base in iraq, by a. In 1979, the soviets invaded and occupied afghanistan, a small country in central asia. The author analyses their deliberate policy of migratory genocide through a combination of aerial bombardments, political. Macroyan, a corruption of the russian word for microcomplex, offers a microhistory of afghanistans four decades of war. Nik spender in graphic novel format, introduces the soviet war in afghanistan. Mujahideen fechters in the kunar province o afghanistan in 1987.

As nato troops move toward their final withdrawal this year, afghans worry about what will come next, and russian involvement in neighboring. Soviet air confrontations with pakistan air force, during. Soviet failur tae quell the afghan mujahideen insurgency. 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. In kabuls heart, soviet towers harbor decades of tales. The peshawar seven insurgents received military training in neighboring pakistan and china, as well as. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an immediate increase in the presence of. Soviet combat tactics in afghanistan, by lester grau. Joseph collinsa veteran afghan watcher, national war college professor, and respected strategistguides the reader expertly through the. Soviet war in afghanistan simple english wikipedia, the. In late december 1979, the soviet union invaded afghanistan. Although afghanistan did not play an active role in the war, its position ensured that the kingdom and its people were not entirely untouched by the global conflict.

Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. Briefing book on the soviet intervention in afghanistan. The translatoreditor established his credentials with his first two books on this. The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic. Afghanistan history soviet occupation, 19791989 foreign public opinion comment on soviet intervention in afghanistan baghdad. The hitandrun bloodletting across the wars decade tallied more than. Most important is the pakistani version, written by the isi commander of the battle, mohammad yousaf, with mark adkin in the bear trap. A soviet soldier runs for cover, as his armored car comes under fire from muslim rebels, near the town of herat, on february, 1980. It is similar to books published by our own government.

The premier treatment of the full length of the soviet war in afghanistan is by artemy kalinovsky in his book, a long goodbye. William dalrymples top 10 books on afghanistan books. During the first world war afghanistan remained neutral under amir habibullah khan. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from. The soviet afghan war by members of the russian general staff, and translated by lester grau and michael gross, is a summary overview of the soviet experience in the afghan invasion and war of the 1980s. What are the best books about the soviet war in afghanistan from 1979 to 89. A selection of books related to the wars in iraq and afghanistan.

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. Part of the cold war, it was fought between sovietled afghan forces against multinational insurgent groups called the mujahideen, mostly composed of two alliances the peshawar seven and the tehran eight. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states, saudi arabia, pakistan. The ussr entered neighboring afghanistan in 1979, attempting to shore up the newlyestablished prosoviet regime in kabul. The hitandrun bloodletting across the wars decade tallied more than 25,000 dead soviet soldiers plus a great many more casualties and further demoralized a ussr on the. The common western narrative holds that once soviet forces crossed their southern border into afghanistan in december 1979, they were modernday cossacks waging a. Not trumps terrorists, nor zbigs warm water ports january 29, 2019.

The soviet side of the war has long been neglected but finally received attention from gregory feifer in the great gamble. 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. Persia and afghanistan in 19334 being recognised as the greatest of all prewar travel books. The russians in afghanistan 19791989, london, profile books. January 8, 2009 the common view of the soviet war in afghanistan was that it was a soviet territorial grab. Afghanistan history soviet occupation, 19791989 cartoons and comics. 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.

The conflict escalated tensions in the cold war until reformer mikhail gorbachev was elected to the soviet. Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the foreign mercenaries, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. First published in 1985, this is a book written at the height of the soviet war in afghanistan in the 1980s. Soviet voices from the afghanistan war by svetlana alexievich, the soviet afghan war. The conflict had its origins in the 1978 coup that overthrew afghan president sardar muhammad daud khan, who had come to power by ousting the king in 1973. Zinky boys is an oral history of the soviet invasion of afghanistan, by a soviet author with all soviet interviewees. Two soviet soldiers taken prisoner by the afghan resistance. Afghanistan, and bin laden from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 by. Cold war conflicts by gary jeffrey and nick spender nov 30, 20 3. Cassidy, author of the new, critically acclaimed book, war, will, and warlords.

Soviet voices from the afghanistan war by svetlana alexievich, the sovietafghan war. Posts about soviet war in afghanistan written by philo. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and foreign mercenaries. Built for prosoviet afghan elites, macroyan kohna today is a. The soviet war in afghanistan graphic modern history.

The soviet withdrawal from afghanistan harvard, 2011, which both provides lessons for todays u. When the soviet union invaded afghanistan in 1979, the united states was in the middle of a war of words with afghanistans neighbor iran. List of books and articles about soviet invasion of afghanistan. Former soldier, andrew exum, tells us about flawed policy, unhappy outcomes and what could and should have been different. The book consists of separate chapters on various aspects of the war, including the experiences of various components of the soviet. 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. The extraordinary story of the largest covert operation in history by crile. In 1988, the soviet army left afghanistan after a concerted campaign by the westernbacked mujahideen. The interviewees are soldiers and support personnel that served in afghanistan, and their family members. In this second part of a twopart interview by government book talk blog editor michele bartram, col. Soviet invasion of afghanistan a case of mission creep, according to new book and original soviet documents october, 2012.