In 2021, the United States chose to retreat from the quagmire of Afghanistan after 20 years of war, and Afghanistan once again proved its title as the "graveyard of empires".
A few decades ago, one of the world's superpowers, the Soviet Union, also invaded Afghanistan, and in the end suffered a major setback, even accelerating its own disintegration.
If the United States now intends to invade the Soviet Union on the pretext of the war on terror, then why did the Soviet Union invade Afghanistan in the first place? The end result?
Although the Soviet Union spent less time in Afghanistan than the United States, the war in Afghanistan had a profound impact on it, even leading to its disintegration two years after the withdrawal. The reason why the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan can be traced back to Brezhnev and his old friends in Afghanistan.
Located at the crossroads of Eastern and Western civilizations, Afghanistan has been a battleground for the expansion of imperial power since ancient times due to its unique geographical location. A mix of cultures has nurtured Afghanistan's complex and turbulent history.
With the development of colonialism, Afghanistan became a strategic buffer zone in the eyes of Western countries. In the 19th century, it became the focus of geopolitical conflict between Russia and Britain, and was invaded by the British.
The British did not gain much on the land of Afghanistan, and we will not go into detail about this war. After the establishment of the Soviet Union, Afghanistan bordered several Central Asian countries of the Soviet Union, and at the same time, Afghanistan had a complex ethnic culture, and had close ethnic ties with the Central Asian republics, and the main Muslim gathering places of the Soviet Union were also here, so there were also strong religious ties.
Although several Central Asian countries were under the control of the Soviet Union, they have always maintained close relations with Afghanistan due to ethnic and religious factors, and Afghanistan's influence on the Central Asian republics is also very large.
Since the founding of the Soviet Union, relations between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan have been good, especially after the end of World War II, when the Soviet Union ensured Afghanistan's non-aligned political status and took the initiative to establish friendly relations with Afghanistan in order to break the defense system established by the United States.
For the Soviet Union, a pro-Soviet and stable Afghan regime was key to ensuring stable control over Central Asia. Therefore, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan had its roots in this.
The Soviet Union had tried to prop up a spokesman in Afghanistan rather than directly using its armed forces. King Charhi faced the pressure of domestic modernization and pressure from neighboring countries after World War II, so he supported a prime minister named Daoud.
After Daoud became prime minister, the Soviet Union took the initiative to approach Afghanistan, which was a good opportunity for rapid development through Soviet aid. However, Daoud, who was more traditional-minded, was not interested in Soviet ideology, as he believed that it was incompatible with his Muslim identity.
Daoud tried to get closer to the Americans, but the United States did not realize the importance of Afghanistan at the time, and instead focused more on Iran and Pakistan. In this case, after Daoud hit a wall in the United States, his heart began to waver.
In addition, Afghanistan and Pakistan have always had territorial disputes, and the United States has sided with Afghanistan in order to support Pakistan.
Even with ideological differences, Daoud had to face reality, and he turned to the USSR for assistance. The Soviet Union, out of national strategic considerations, gave a lot of assistance.
However, despite the support of the Soviet Union, the situation in Afghanistan did not improve, and the economy faced difficulties. Daoud held the resources of the USSR at his disposal, but could not achieve the goals of modernization.
Finally, in 1963, he was forced to resign. After that, King Charhi returned to power, but the situation in the country remained grim, and there were three political forces in the country, including Daoud.
In 1973, Daoud staged a coup d'état, overthrowing King Charhi and proclaiming a democratic republic.
Daoud returned to power in Afghanistan after the coup, and the Soviet Union originally thought that Afghanistan would be pro-Soviet, but the subsequent development of Afghanistan was not expected by the Soviet Union. Before Daoud's coup, in addition to his own forces, there were two forces opposed to King Chalhi's rule.
One of these factions was the Islamic religious forces in the country, which were later one of the predecessors of the radical Islamic forces in Afghanistan.
The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan: The Birth of a Communist Organization In the fifties, the Soviet Union supported the Afghan Karmal in creating an organization of a communist nature, and then the Marxist Taraki also formed a group.
Under the guidance of the Soviet Union, the two organizations merged to form the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. However, since the two parts were merged, there were internal differences in the route.
Karmal and others advocated gradual reform in Afghanistan, arguing that it was not possible to establish a proletarian state immediately. And the "people's faction" such as Taraki wanted a top-down revolution in Afghanistan in order to establish a proletarian regime.
In 1973, Daoud took advantage of the divisions within the PPP and orchestrated a coup d'état with Karmal and others to regain power. Because Daoud had close ties with the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union did not strongly oppose the coup d'état in Afghanistan, but welcomed it.
After Daoud's political position gradually stabilized, he began to repel the forces of the People's Democratic Party and abandoned the pro-Soviet line, seeking a balance between the Soviet Union and the West.
In 1977, Daoud even had a heated quarrel with Brezhnev in a meeting because of his opposition to Soviet interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs, which led to a gradual cooling of relations between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union.
The USSR was also looking for a new ** person to replace Daoud. Daoud's exclusion sparked cooperation within the PDP, who decided to join forces to overthrow his rule.
Although Daoud had foresight of the DPP's movement and succeeded in capturing Taraki, he did not foresee the DPP's coup d'état of young officers.
This turned the tide abruptly, and Daoud was eventually shot and killed. In 1978, the Afghan coup d'état succeeded, and the People's Democratic Party came to power and established a pro-Soviet regime.
As the saying goes: "It is easy to share hardships and hardships, but it is difficult to share wealth and prosperity." However, after the establishment of the new **, despite the constant obstruction of the Soviet Union, the People's Democratic Party was divided into two factions, and the two factions shared power.
Taraki became the prime minister of the People's faction, while Karmal became the deputy of the Banner faction.
Taraki was even more so than Daoud, and his pro-Soviet pro-Soviet was no different not only on the outside, but also on the inside. His feelings for Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev were as complex as the two brothers came from different families.
During their visit to the Soviet Union, they often made intimate gestures such as hugging, and Taraki even expressed his willingness to reveal all secrets to the Soviet Union. Under Taraki's staunchly pro-Soviet policy, Afghanistan soon became a special case in the surrounding region, and diplomatic relations with its neighbors took a sharp turn for the worse.
The internal situation in Afghanistan is chaotic, and not only is there a constant struggle against *** organizations, but also within the People's Democratic Party. In order to eliminate this force and promote democratic reforms, Taraki advocated the most moderate way possible to win the support of the people, but Amin believed that only harsh repression would work, even if it caused conflicts with the people.
With Taraki in control and the Soviet Union in full support, a power struggle is on the horizon. Although Taraki was favored by the Soviets, the Soviets set a trap for him against Amin. However, both coups in Afghanistan seem to follow a pattern: preemptive strikers often befall misfortune.
As in the coup d'état many years ago, the first strike often ended badly. In the conflict on September 14, 1979, Amin preemptively imprisoned Taraki and became the leader of Afghanistan a day later.
With the change of power at the highest level in Afghanistan, the shadow of war gradually looms over the graveyard of empires. Through a coup d'état, Amin ousted Taraki, an ally of the Soviet Union, an act that made Brezhnev furious.
Even the Soviet Foreign Minister at the time said that the misfortune of Taraki was the main reason for Brezhnev's decision to send troops to the Soviet Union. Is this really the case? Because in the power struggle at the top of Afghanistan, the Soviet Union chose to support Taraki, and even the Soviet ambassador to Afghanistan helped Taraki plot to get rid of Amin.
If this thing succeeds, it may be possible to cover up the past, but after the matter is revealed, how can Amin be kind to the Soviet Union?
After Amin came to power, he completely changed Taraki's radical foreign policy, no longer at the mercy of the Soviet Union, and even exposed the scandal of the Soviet ambassador's plot to kill Amin in front of everyone's eyes, which disgraced the Soviet Union.
Although these problems were extremely displeasing to the Soviet Union and caused significant economic losses, not all of them were resolved by war. So, what was the trigger or trigger that really prompted the Soviet Union to decide to make a move?
There are two main points: one is that Amin began to approach the United States at the same time as relations with the Soviet Union were deteriorating.
If Amin abandoned the Soviet Union, took refuge in the United States, and took away the Soviet aid he controlled, it would undoubtedly be a huge blow to the Soviet Union. This will not only affect the territorial security of the Soviet Union in Central Asia, but may also trigger the conflict between several Soviet republics in Central Asia.
In addition, Taraki was imprisoned and killed, not only because of his personal relationship with Brezhnev, but also because Taraki was a leader supported by the Soviet Union, and he had absolute trust in the Soviet Union, which the Soviet Union had promised to protect him.
Once he led the world to make promises, he was overthrown, imprisoned and even killed. If the CPSU chooses to remain silent at this moment, then it will be a mockery of itself.
Brezhnev was not intolerant of Taraki's death, but he could not tolerate the death of a Taraki who trusted the USSR and made promises. Therefore, the Soviets were forced to act out of concern for their own security and international prestige.
On October 25, 1979, the Soviet Air Force and the 40th Army crossed the border into Afghanistan, and the KGB special operations group also arrived in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.
Before the Soviet Union carried out the decapitation operation, they got in touch with Amin through **. On December 27, 1979, Amin received a letter from the Soviet ambassador.
* , the man's tone, while mild, was rather tough in content, directly demanding that Amin resign as leader and promising that Moscow would guarantee his safety and that of his family if he resigned.
This could be seen as an ultimatum before the Soviet Union moved its troops, but Amin did not accept this offer.
After being refused, realizing his danger, he tried to call ** for a military deployment. However, what is desperate is that all other lines have been cut off, except for the special line of the Soviet embassy that has just arrived.
It didn't take long for the gunfire of Soviet troops to be heard in the distance. A few hours later, Amin's guards were wiped out, and the Soviet servicemen brought a document.
As long as Amin signed, he had a chance to live and enjoy a lifetime of glory and wealth, and the content of the document was simple, as long as Amin confirmed that Afghanistan invited Soviet troops to come.
Amin resolutely rejected the Soviet ultimatum, as a result of which his entire family was shot dead by Soviet soldiers. Despite the disparity in power, the Soviet Union quickly occupied Afghanistan, but they struggled in the graveyard of empires.
The Soviet Union shone in the August 1 military exercises in the West, but the war became a drain on the Soviet Union's national strength, and despite the fact that they invested more than 1.5 million officers and soldiers, they could not fully control the land.
As it sank deeper into Afghanistan's quagmire, the Soviet Union itself was in danger of falling apart. Finally, in 1989, the Soviet army, which had been struggling for ten years, completely withdrew from the land, and the war, which led to the cost of more than 50,000 people and tens of billions of rubles, played a key role in the promotion of the collapse of the Soviet Union.