Moscow versus the Mujahideen

The Soviets decision to invade Afghanistan was the beginning of the end of their empire.
In wanting to further spread Communist government, they set themselves up to collapse. Having
just come out of the Vietnam War, the U.S. didn’t want to engage in battle with the Soviets, but
fought the war in other ways. By aiding the people of
Afghanistan and surrounding nations who opposed the Soviet’s
invasion, they fought the battle of Communism. However, by
aiding the ‘mujahideen’ (the ‘group’ name of the people who
opposed Soviet rule in Afghanistan), the U.S. began a different
war that is still being fought today. The Soviet’s decision to
invade Afghanistan had just as destructive consequences

PAKISTAN’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE AFGHAN-SOVIET WAR

When Pakistan entered the Soviet-Afghan War, it was to support rebels affiliated with the
Soviet Empire trying to overthrow the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). Since
the United States had recently declared an all-out battle against communism, it offered to provide
the appropriate tools to assist Pakistan in assisting Afghanistan. Pakistan was the middle man in
the U.S.A.'s fight against communism and the Soviet
Empire. Since it occurred during the Cold War, the United
States wanted to make sure that it was creating ties that
would be beneficial in its anti-communist crusade.
Eager to play a part in the war, Pakistan turned to
the U.S. to support them with aid. Part of this aid included
F-16's as well as training. Later in this article, you will find
how this training came back to bite the U.S.A. With a
country such as Pakistan, they only stood to benefit from the United States' “generosity.”
Tragically, the end of the relationship was not as beneficial for Pakistan as it was hoped to have
been. In the next few sections, why the partnership did not come out as hoped will become clear.1

U.S INVOLVEMENT

FUNDING THE MUJAHIDEEN

In the United States history, one covert operation casts shadows on all others. Operation
Cyclone, the CIA program to fund specific mujahideen, spanned 10 years, from 1979 – 1989 and
rose from $20 million annually into the lump sum of $630 million. [1] The CIA were picky about
where their money went since there was so much being channeled into a nation of unrest. In a
later section, the decisions made over whom to provide money to are shown to be not the best of
1
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Soviet-Afghan_War
choices fir the United States. [2] Recipients of the most of the United States sponsored funds
were often strong anti-Soviet crusaders. Within the FATA, Pashtuns sent numerous Mekmatyar
militants. These militants are often tied to the current Taliban. While they were anti-Soviet, they
were not pro-democracy as was discovered to the United States chagrin. [3]
Due to tribal customs, many tribes did not fight and opposed military influence in their
area. These customs encourage hospitality, independence, and solidarity which is controversial in
a warring nation. Through these differences in basic beliefs tribe-to tribe, the United States made
its decisions over who would get money to oppose and who would be left relatively support-less.
Tragically, since many of the groups shared similar ethnic backgrounds, the end result was
discontent and disharmony which fractured the tribal relations one step further.[4]

[1] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Cyclone>
[2] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulbuddin_Hekmatyar>,
<http://www.understandingwar.org/print/663>, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mujahideen>
[3] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federally_Administered_Tribal_Areas>
[4] <http://www.aei.org/outlook/26888>

U.S. ROLE IN THE AFGHAN-SOVIET WAR

The United States tends to be involved in most conflicts worldwide, mainly because they
have a vested interest in the outcome. The Afghan – Soviet war was no different. The Soviet
region of the world (specifically Russia) has had some interest in Afghanistan since the 19th
century. Strong military ties between the Soviets and the Afghan government developed because
the Soviets aided in strengthening and building up the military in Afghanistan. Afghanistan was
divided at this time. Their government was becoming, if it wasn’t already, a communist state,
aided by the U.S.S.R..[1] The United States was still involved in the Cold War with the U.S.S.R.,
and was paying close attention to what was
happening in Afghanistan. The relationship
between the U.S. and Afghanistan had already
greatly deteriorated, and the U.S. was looking to
halt the progression of communism. Since the
U.S. didn’t want to directly step in and repeat the
Vietnam War scenario, they worked behind the
scenes instead.[2] Afghanistan was divided,
because so many of the people didn’t like the
communist government. These were the Afghan
insurgents. The United States became involved by funding these insurgent groups, especially the
mujahideen.[3] Mujahideen is “an Arabic word that means "strugglers" or "strivers." The word
has its origins in Islam, and is related to the word jihad, but in the context of the Afghan war, it
may be best understood as referring to "resistance."”. [4] One of the most famous, or infamous,
 members of the mujahideen is/was Osama Bin Laden.[5] Because of the United States providing
financial backing and weaponry, and basic overall support of their cause, the mujahideen were
eventually able to push the Soviet army out of Afghanistan’s borders.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_war_in_Afghanistan

[2] http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB57/us5.pdf

[3] http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB57/us5.pdf

[4] http://terrorism.about.com/od/warinafghanistan/ss/AfghanistanWar_3.htm

[5] http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/10/omar-bin-laden-200910?printable=true

RECONSTRUCTION AND STABILIZATION

The end of the conflict saw near total destruction of Afghanistan. Over 1 to 2 million
casualties, and up to 10 million refugees, were left unattended. The country was in complete
ruins and had no way to recover on its own, and this was when the United States would remove
its support. Having accomplished their goal of opposing the Soviet Union the U.S. felt that they
had no need to help Afghanistan in their efforts to rebuild, instead they left it to neighboring
countries like Pakistan.
DIFFERENT THAN VIETNAM
America’s eagerness to oppose communism during the cold war was a costly and lengthy
affair. The Korean War and the Cuban Missile Crisis were major points of conflict during the
Cold War; however, no conflict better embodies America’s fight against communism like that of
the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was a dark and
costly period in the history of the United States Armed
Forces. The war lasted from 1954 until 1975 and ended
unsuccessfully with a casualty count of over 3,000,000
people, including 58,000 Americans.2

Vietnam was an unpopular war that lead the government

to fear public uprisings, and the end of the conflict left
America bloodied and uncertain of itself. Thus, the
invasion of Afghanistan by the U.S.S.R. at the end of
1979 caused the U.S. to feel limited in its ability to
Figure 1 Britannica respond to this new communist threat.3 Another war, a
mere four years after the Vietnam War's conclusion, represented a
2
"Vietnam War." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia
Britannica, 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/628478/Vietnam-War>.

3
See Above, Search: "Soviet invasion of Afghanistan”
dangerous tactical and political concern. It meant that the U.S. would have to develop different
means to oppose the spread of communism. The answer to the United States dilemma came
through the Mujahedeen rebellion. The U.S. could provide everything that the Mujahedeen
needed: training, funding, and organization, instead of American troops. The C.I.A. coordinated
a shipment of large quantities of arms and other militant materials to Pakistan, who then gave
them to the Mujahedeen.4
The return investment was that the U.S military would not need to commit any forces to
the operation. No casualties to report and no need to seek public approval meant that the U.S.
government had much more freedom to act during the Afghan-Soviet War. Other benefits
included the fact that the United States could use this conflict to build ties with the Pakistani
government and perhaps restore a democratic government in Afghanistan.
The withdrawal of soviet forces from Afghanistan at the end of 1988 saw the United
States as the true winners of the conflict.5 Afghanistan was in ruins, Pakistan was dealing with
several million refugees, and the Russians were in a complete rout. America’s detached and
non-personal approach to the Soviet-Afghan War allowed them to achieve all of their goals
without having to make a large sacrifice. In the end, that was the true benefit of the United
States different approach to Afghanistan compared to Vietnam.
The Afghan-Soviet conflict was the beginning
of the end of the U.S.S.R. Some have even described
Afghanistan as the Russian Vietnam.6 It was costly
and unsuccessful due to the nature of the Mujahedeen
rebels that fought a guerilla war against them. After
the war ended in 1988 the Soviet Union would
splinter into several smaller nations at the end of
1991.7
Unlike the United States, the Russian nation
as a whole was unable to recover from a war that
drained resources on the scale that they suffered.
During the conflict rebellion began to break out in
several different states within the Soviet Empire. The
costly and unpopular nature of the war only spurred dissenters further. The combined pressures
of both their citizens within, and the United States without, culminated with the dissolution of
the U.S.S.R.
THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET EMPIRE

4
"Soviet invasion of Afghanistan." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1499983/Soviet-invasion-of-Afghanistan>.

5
See Above
6
“1970’s,” Cold War Museum,
<http://www.coldwar.org/articles/90s/fall_of_the_soviet_union.asp>
7
See Above
 The Soviet Empire was this massive powerhouse that seemed indestructible. But it
wasn’t. They faced a humiliating defeat after a ten – year in struggle in Afghanistan. The worst
of it was that they didn’t lose to a well – organized army of trained militants. They lost to a
group of men, loosely bound together with similar ideas. Though this war wasn’t the catalyst, or
sole reason, that the Empire fell, it was definitely one of the last straws that led to the eventual
break down of the Soviet Empire. Some have even called it the step to “national suicide”.[1] One
of the causes was that soldiers who had fought diligently in Afghanistan, under orders, returned
back to their home countries after defeat, again under orders, and were treated with scorn and
disrespect. It wasn’t their fault that the war was lost, but they were treated exceptionally poorly.
[2] Also, when in the Army, many of the soldiers were treated unfairly. There were ethnic
tensions between the soldiers, and between the soldiers and their leaders.
As well, the Soviet army was not a voluntary army, so people soon began to become
discontent and rise in protest.[3] Another reason was that the Soviet government was so corrupt,
and they lied out – rightly to the citizens about their involvement in invading Afghanistan for a
substantial amount of time.[4] This discontent between the people of the Soviet Empire and their
government over the entire situation only flamed the fires for change, and that change would be
an overall in government, and essentially getting rid of the Soviet Empire all together.

[1] http://www.afghan-web.com/history/articles/ussr.html

[2] http://www.afghan-web.com/history/articles/ussr.html

[3] http://faculty.washington.edu/aseem/afganwar.pdf

[4] http://www.afghan-web.com/history/articles/ussr.html

“BLOWBACK” AND HOW IT GETS EVERYONE IN THE END

Blowback as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dctionary is “an
unforeseen and unwanted effect, result, or set of repercussions”
which is taken one step further in the GlobalPost as “the
unintended consequence of an operation that turns around and
savages its handlers.” The United States after its involvement in
the Afghan-Soviet – or Charlie Wilson's - War faced particularly
violent blowback.
The CIA during the Afghan-Soviet War supplied training
and weapons to what – at the time were Islamic militants – became
a breed of terrorists (theatlantic.com). The training that was given
to the jihadists at the time was to be applied to the Soviet Empire,
but soon it spread to the point that terrorists boarded planes in the
United States to direct them into the World Trade Centers, along with other locations. The ISU,
an Islamic military-intelligence apparatus, was not broken down after the war was won. Charlie
Wilson, an important figure in the conflict, later stated that he wished more was done to stabilize
the country after the Soviet Empire was pushed back, for this unrest helped to feed the Islamic
militants discontent citizens for its new goals (globalpost.com).
The United States was the not the only group to suffer from the information that the new
terrorists now possessed. Pakistan felt some of the shrapnel too along with Saudi Arabia.
Bombings in Riyadh as well as Peshawar and Islamabad are still counted as some of the worst in
Pakistan.
The U.S. was taken aback. What began as a fight against the communism and the Soviet
Empire had spiraled into a new and disturbing conflict. In fact, the
war on terrorism can be linked to this time when the United States
made an error in judgement. In an interview with Zbigniew
Brzezinski, National Security advisor to Jimmy Carter, Brzezinski
was quoted, saying “What is more important to the history of the
world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some
stirred up Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end
of the Cold War” (globalresearch.ca). It represented the creation of
a militant Islamic network.
At this same time, Pakistan was wounded and blamed the
United States and the CIA for the bombings. In fact, the Pakistani
Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto actually stated that it was the
United States' fault. One man said, “The United States created a
Moscow Central in Peshawar for these [terrorist] groups, and the
consequences for all of us are astronomical” (theatlantic).
The Riyadh bombing actually brought Osama bin Laden into the view of the U.S. In the
following years, the “holy war” waged with frightening violence, but it did not get much
comment from the United States until the blowback blew right into the Twin Towers and nearly
took out the Pentagon and the White House.
While the United States helped in the Afghan-Soviet War with the best intentions, the dangerous
blasé attitude that it took towards it created a monster that has bitten not only the hand that fed it
but is currently trying to consume itself completely.

1"Vietnam War." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011.
Web. 12 Feb. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/628478/Vietnam-War>.
2 See Above, Search: "Soviet invasion of Afghanistan”
3"Soviet invasion of Afghanistan." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia
Britannica, 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1499983/Soviet-invasion-of-
Afghanistan>.
4“1970’s,” Cold War Museum, <http://www.coldwar.org/articles/90s/fall_of_the_soviet_union.asp>
5See Above
 Far reaching consequences involved in wars are often
impossible to determine at the time they are fighting. For the Soviets,
they were unable to see that by invading Afghanistan, they began what
would become the collapse of the Soviet Empire. The US was unable to
see that their involvement would reach farther than merely stopping the
spread of communism. In essence, it stretched all the way into funding
terrorism.

Additional References

http://www.executedtoday.com/tag/soviet-afghan-war/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/1162108.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Soviet_Union_(1982%E2%80%931991)

http://www.coldwar.org/articles/70s/afghan_war.asp