1979–1989
Armed revolt against the PDPA government was already spreading when the Soviet Union intervened in December 1979, killed Hafizullah Amin, and installed Babrak Karmal. Soviet and Afghan government forces fought diverse mujahideen movements supplied chiefly through Pakistan with United States, Saudi, Chinese, and other support. Soviet troops withdrew in 1989, but the Najibullah government survived until 1992; civil war, regional intervention, and institutional collapse—not one direct chain—later enabled the Taliban and transnational jihadist organizations.
Chapter-by-chapter narrative with maps, primary sources, and key events.
Explore battles on a live map with a timeline slider and territory overlays.
Deep-dive into every major engagement — commanders, casualties, significance.
Biographical flip cards with real portraits, facts, and full biography pages.
Trace each figure's full life journey — birth, education, battles, and death — on a live map.
Scroll-driven visualization of casualties — each dot a thousand lives.
Weapons, war machines, and the military innovations that defined how this conflict was fought.
Cause-and-effect chains tracing the war's long shadow on history.
War crimes, massacres, and the darkest chapters of this conflict — documented for history.
Armed revolt against the PDPA government was already spreading when the Soviet Union intervened in December 1979, killed Hafizullah Amin, and installed Babrak Karmal. Soviet and Afghan government forces fought diverse mujahideen movements supplied chiefly through Pakistan with United States, Saudi, Chinese, and other support. Soviet troops withdrew in 1989, but the Najibullah government survived until 1992; civil war, regional intervention, and institutional collapse—not one direct chain—later enabled the Taliban and transnational jihadist organizations.
Soviet-Afghan War was fought from 1979 to 1989.
Soviet-Afghan War was fought between Soviet Union / DRA Government and Afghan Mujahideen.
An estimated 1,035,000 people died in Soviet-Afghan War, including roughly 35,000 military and 1,000,000 civilian deaths. Figures are scholarly estimates and vary by source.
Major engagements included Operation Magistral, Fall of Najibullah, Battles of Panjshir Valley, and Siege of Khost.