Apr 03, 20 just as historys lessons were dismissed as advisers begat brigades in the jungles of southeast asia, the soviet experience in afghanistan has been discarded as irrelevant to our own war by. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the war from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has stri. 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 secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden, from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 by steve coll. Its most interesting aspect is not the overall historical narrative. President trump claimed the soviet union went to war in 1979 to battle terrorists. The best books on understanding the war in afghanistan five.
Based on scrupulous research and firsthand accounts by key government, intelligence, and military personnel both foreign and american, ghost wars details the secret history of the cias role in afghanistan including its covert operations against soviet troops from 1979 to 1989, the rise of the taliban, the emergence of bin laden, and the failed efforts by u. Persia and afghanistan in 19334 being recognised as the greatest of all pre war travel books. I would prefer books that arent too dry but are still fairly informative. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops.
List of books and articles about soviet invasion of afghanistan. A new account of the soviet unions long, hard battle in afghanistan. Understanding war in afghanistan is an excellent book for journeyman students of afghanistan. The sovietafghan 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.
Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Mar 27, 20 william dalrymples top 10 books on afghanistan. Just as historys lessons were dismissed as advisers begat brigades in the jungles of southeast asia, the soviet experience in afghanistan has been discarded as. 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 us has repeatedly misdiagnosed the war in afghanistan. Sep 03, 2019 the civil war continued in afghanistan after the soviet withdrawal. Nov 12, 2012 first published in 1985, this is a book written at the height of the soviet war in afghanistan in the 1980s. 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.
Afghanistan war, 197892, conflict between anticommunist muslim afghan guerrillas mujahidin and afghan government and soviet forces. William dalrymples top 10 books on afghanistan books the. In the great gamble, a groundbreaking account of the soviet invasion. 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. Afghanistan 1979 the war that changed the world youtube. Soviet voices from the afghanistan war by svetlana alexievich, the soviet afghan war. Soviet voices from the afghanistan war by svetlana alexievich, the sovietafghan war. Former soldier, andrew exum, tells us about flawed policy, unhappy outcomes and what could and should have been different. Built for prosoviet afghan elites, macroyan kohna today is a.
This revived tensions between the united states and the soviet union and helped usher in what many dubbed the second cold war. With a focus on the 1980s, the impact of the afghansoviet war on pakistan delves into both afghanistans history and the involvement of superpowers in shaping its present situation. Sep 09, 2019 a chronology of key events in the history of afghanistan, from the mid1800s to the present day. Soviet and mujahideen uniforms, clothing, and equipment in the sovietafghan war, 19791989. A lowflying afghan helicopter gunship in snowcapped valley along salang highway provides cover for a soviet convoy sending food and fuel to. The soviet union left afghanistan deep in winter with intimations of panic among kabul officials. This report on the soviet army in afghanistan focuses on morale, discipline, motivation, and cohesion. Jul 10, 2017 zinky boys is an oral history of the soviet invasion of afghanistan, by a soviet author with all soviet interviewees. Before the war as one of its bordering neighbors, the soviet union had a long history of supporting and providing aid to afghanistan. Through the investigation of a complex and highly politicized war, the. This heading may be further subdivided by the subdivisions used under individual wars.
This book was recommended as a history of a loss with the comment that military losses are much more informative than wins. It is based on interviews with former members of the soviet armed forces in afghanistan, interviews with afghan reistnnce leaders and former officers, and a literature search. The soviet war in afghanistan was a nineyear period involving the soviet forces and the mujahideen insurgents that were fighting to overthrow afghanistans marxist peoples democratic party of afghanistan pdpa government. Since december 1979, when soviet troops first entered afghanistan, the country has remained a focal point in regional and global politics. To help bring a quick victory, the resulting escalation of troops to pacify the region leads to the bloodiest year of the war. The soviet withdrawal from afghanistan 1989 national. During the first world war afghanistan remained neutral under amir habibullah khan who was then killed by an unknown assassin in 1919. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for american foreign policy today. A chronology of key events in the history of afghanistan, from the mid1800s to the present day.
Excavations of prehistoric sites by louis dupree and others at darrae kur in 1966 where 800 stone implements were recovered along with a fragment of neanderthal right temporal bone, suggest that early humans were living in what is now afghanistan at least 52,000 years ago. Mujahideen tactics in the sovietafghan war, by lester grau and ali ahmad jalali. Soviet combat tactics in afghanistan, by lester grau the other side of the mountain. Afghan war, in the history of afghanistan, the internal conflict that began in 1978 between anticommunist islamic guerrillas and the afghan communist government aided in 197989 by soviet troops, leading to the overthrow of the government in 1992. Sovietafghanistan war timeline history of war in the 20th. A month after the invasion, in january 1980, the author describes how a visiting soviet minister was given a historical account of britains failures. Gregory feifers book about the soviet experience in afghanistan is the best i have read to date. See also whats at wikipedia, your library, or elsewhere.
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. Not only does it give them a summary of afghanistans colorful geography and history, but it also presents an uptodate picture of where the war is heading and an informed discussion of the range of choice for afghanistan and its allies. Dec 22, 2014 what are the best books about the soviet war in afghanistan from 1979 to 89. Sometimes referred to as the soviets version of the vietnam war, the soviet war in afghanistan ended up being a losing battle for the soviet union, and in many ways, accelerated the dissolution of communism in the east. The main body of the book is about soviet army and air force tactics, operations, and armaments. It was a neutral, developing state on the periphery of the ussr, beholden to moscow for economic and military aid which was generously applied, especially in the early 1970s. The extraordinary story of the largest covert operation in history by crile, george. The report examines major factors that negatively affect. The soviet war in afghanistan in pictures, 19791989. Best books about the soviet invasion of afghanistan.
Mujahideen fighters in afghanistan during the soviet occupation of the early 1980s. Andrew exum recommends the best books for understanding the war in afghanistan. Are there any good books about the sovietafghan war. New soviet leader mikhail gorbachev publicly states that he wants to end the war in afghanistan. In 1979, the soviets invaded and occupied afghanistan, a small country in central asia. 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. Im interested in history especiall military history and am looking to expand my library. The soviet war in afghanistan is a 2009 book by gregory feifer about the 19791989 sovietafghan war. Afghanistan was much more important for the soviet union. In the great gamble, a groundbreaking account of the soviet invasion of afghanistan. But a newly published cable underscores moscows fear that afghanistan would switch loyalties to the west.
Macroyan, a corruption of the russian word for microcomplex, offers a microhistory of afghanistans four decades of war. Apr 09, 2020 macroyan, a corruption of the russian word for microcomplex, offers a microhistory of afghanistans four decades of war. A very vivid account of the soviet invasion of afghanistan. The soviet union, china and angloamerican intelligence in the afghan war library of middle east history only 1 left in stock more on the way. Sovietafghanistan war overview history of war in the 20th. Nik spender in graphic novel format, introduces the soviet war in afghanistan. What are the best books about the soviet war in afghanistan from 1979 to 89. Global development in cold war afghanistan is an insightful and lucid account of. With their belief that the soviets faltering war in afghanistan was directly attributable to their fighting, they claim victory in their first battle, but also begin to shift their focus to. Its a highly readable history of the conflict, which began with so. The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic. On the last day of the war, 15 february 1989, the soviet army had still not fully accounted for 333. In kabuls heart, soviet towers harbor decades of tales. The afghan resistance was poised to attack provincial towns and cities and eventually kabul, if necessary.
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