Soviet–Afghan War

December 24, 1979 – February 15, 1989 · Afghanistan

Result Afghan mujahideen victory

December 1979-February 1989 war in Afghanistan between the Soviet Union and the Communist-led Afghan military and the mujahideen, backed principally by Pakistan, the U.S., the UK, China, and Iran. One to three million Afghans died and millions more fled as refugees. The last Soviet troops withdrew on 15 February 1989, and the conflict evolved into the Afghan Civil War.

On the map Overview Contemporaries

Soviet Union and Afghan government

Mujahideen

Other

Soviet Union

Afghanistan Democratic Republic of Afghanistan

Afghan mujahideen

Mikhail Gorbachev

Leonid Brezhnev belligerent leader

Konstantin Chernenko

Yuri Andropov

Babrak Karmal belligerent leader

Hafizullah Amin belligerent leader

Mohammad Najibullah belligerent leader

Burhanuddin Rabbani belligerent leader

Ahmad Shah Massoud belligerent leader

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar belligerent leader

Strength and losses

Casualties: 658,402–669,949

Afghanistan Killed c. 30,000

Casualties: 162,579–192,579

Killed: c. 120,000

Units

40th Army (Soviet Union) 103rd Guards Airborne Division 108th Motor Rifle Division 5th Guards Motor Rifle Division 103rd Separate Guards Airborne Brigade 201st Guards Military Base 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment 56th Guards Air Assault Regiment Afghan Army Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Afghan Commando Forces Soviet Airborne Forces 104th Guards Air Assault Division 98th Guards Airborne Division Soviet Armed Forces 106th Guards Airborne Division 15th Independent Special Forces Brigade 22nd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade 70th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade 80th Air Assault Brigade Sarandoy Afghan Air Force

Haqqani's mujahideen Pakistan Armed Forces Shura-e Nazar XI Corps (Pakistan) Northern Light Infantry Regiment Special Service Group

Quds Force XII Corps (Pakistan) Covert Action Division 99th Missile Brigade No. 11 Squadron PAF Special Service Group (Navy)

Battles and events 14

Operation Cyclone 1979 – 1989
Operation Storm-333 December 27, 1979 · Soviet victory
Siege of Khost January 1980 – April 11, 1991 · Afghan Mujahideen victory
3 Hoot uprising February 22, 1980
Panjshir offensives (Soviet–Afghan War) April 9, 1980 – June 16, 1985 · Mujahideen victory
Siege of Urgun August 1983 – January 16, 1984 · DRA victory
Battle of Maravar Pass April 22, 1985 · Mujahideen military victory
Badaber uprising April 26–27, 1985
Second Battle of Zhawar February 28 – April 19, 1986 · DRA-Soviet government victory
Battle of Jaji April 17 – June 13, 1987 · MAK victory
Battle of Arghandab (1987) May 22, 1987 – June 1987 · Mujahideen victory
Operation Magistral November 19, 1987 – January 10, 1988 · DRA–Soviet victory
Battle for Hill 3234 January 7–8, 1988 · Soviet–Afghanistan victory
Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan May 15, 1988 – February 15, 1989 · Afghan mujahideen victory

Before and after

Followed from: Saur Revolution April 27–28, 1978

Related events 1 degree away • 2 degrees away

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Cold War

Saur Revolution

Soviet–Afghan War

Also involved 31

Mohammed Omar participant
Akhtar Mansour participant
Hibatullah Akhundzada participant
Osama bin Laden Arab volunteer, Financed and organised Arab fighters for the mujahideen
Yury Drozdov participant
Viktor Fyodorovich Karpukhin participant
Dzhokhar Dudayev participant
Pavel Grachev participant
Jalaluddin Haqqani participant
Boris Gromov participant
Shahnawaz Tanai participant · Soviet Union and Afghan government
Mohammad Nabi Azimi participant · Soviet Union and Afghan government
Valentin Varennikov participant
Muhammad Fahim participant
Ruslan Aushev participant
Ayman al-Zawahiri participant
Jumma Xojiyev participant
Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi participant
Abdul Ghani Baradar participant
Abdul Rashid Dostum participant · Soviet Union and Afghan government
Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan participant
Abdelmalek Droukdel participant
Mirab Kishmaria participant
Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov participant

Show 7 more

Sergei Surovikin participant
Norat Ter-Grigoryants participant
Vladimir Arshba participant
Mohammed Rafie participant · Soviet Union and Afghan government
Vyacheslav Borisov participant
Dadullah participant
Sergey Sokolov participant