A historical overview of the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan.

A historical overview of the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan.

This section will focus on a brief history of the war in Afghanistan, as well as the costs in men and equipment of the war.

History of the Afghanistan War by Year
1978 - Prelude to War 1979 - Unrest and Invasion 1980 1981 1982 1983		1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 - The Pullout Costs of the War
1978
	April		Coup engineered by Tataki and Amin is successful and deposes Daud Khan. The new rulers welcome Soviet aid to boost nation's weak, feudal economy and to help with agrarian reforms.
1979
	March 15-21		Soon dissatisfaction with the regime turned to action as anti-communist demonstrators seized the town of Herat near the Iranian border. The Afghan 15th division is ordered to restore the situation but soon joins the opposition. As many as 200 Soviet civilians and advisers butchered in Herat. Herat is then bombed by Afghans and Soviet planes leaving an estimated 5000 afghani dead.
	April		Soviet-piloted Mi-24 helicopters support a DRA offensive in the Kunar valley which kills an estimated 1000 when the village of Kerala is razed.
	17 May		Afghan mechanized brigade from the 7th division defects to the resistance.
	July		Battalion of Soviet paratroopers lands in Bagram airbase to protect soviet helicopter force.
	August		5th brigade of the 9th afghan division mutinies and joins the resistance in the Kunar valley.
	August-October		General Pavlovskiy, chief of ground forces, leads a group of 50 soviet officers on a planning reconnaissance throughout Afghanistan.
	14 September		Primer minister Amin's faction kills president Taraki in a gun battle.
	October		Insurrection in the 7th division.
	24 December		Soviet airborne division begins air landing in Kaboul.
	27 December		Soviet divisions cross border and begin advance south along the eastern and western highways. Soviet airborne and spetsnaz forces overthrow government and kill Amin the president.
	28 December		Babrak Karmal declared new president of the DRA.
1980
	1 January		Kandahar revolts and Soviet citizens and troops are hacked to pieces.
	21 February		Kaboul protests the Soviet occupation and hundreds are killed and thousands are arrested. anti-Soviet riot in Shindand put down by Soviet forces.
	February		Soviet sweep of Kunar valley
	March		Soviet push into Paktia results in the loss of a soviet battalion. Soviet sweep of Kunar valley.
	April		Soviet offensive in Pandshir valley.
	May		Soviet sweep of Ghazni and of Kunar valley.
	June		Soviet sweep of Ghazni.
	September		Pandsher I - Soviet forces sweep the Kunar valley.
	October		Pandshir II - Operation to eliminate forces missed during Pandsher I.
	November		Soviet sweep of Kunar valley.  Soviet sweep of Wardak province.  Lowgar valley offensive until mid-December.
1981
	February-May		Fighting in Kandahar.
	April		Pandsher III.
	June-July:		Nangahar offensive.
	4 July		108th MRD offensive in Sarobi Valley. Heavy fighting in Herat.
	August		Operation Pandsher IV.
	5 September		5th MRD offensive in Farah province.
	5 October		MRD sweeps around Herat. Unsuccessful DRA operation at Marmoul Gorge, Balkh province.  Soviet offensive in Kandahar.
	December		Combined sweeps with DRA and 66th MRB in Nangahar.  Fighting in Herat.
1982
	January		Fighting in Herat.
	February		City fighting in Kandahar
	May		Pandshir V, largest operation yet launched in retaliation for attack on Bagram air base.108th MRD governing headquarters for composite force drawm from 3 divisions (108th MRD, 201st MRD and 103rd ABD)
	July		Sweep against Paghman hills near Kaboul
	August-September		Pandshir VI
	November		Laghman valley offensive
	2 November		1000+ people killed during bombing of Salang Tunnel.
1983
	January		Lowgar valley offensive. Soviets negotiate cease-fire in Pandsher valley.
	April		Sweeps around Herat
	June		Ghazni offensive.
	August		Paktia province offensive.
	November		Shomali offensive.
1984
	April		Gora Tepa offensive. end of cease-fire in Pandsher valley. Pandsher VII, largest offensive yet, launched under control of 108th MRD. Operation also includes push up Andarab valley and Alishang valley. Soviets garrison lower valley and fighting continues throughout summer.
	June		Lowgar valley offensive.  Herat and Kandahar offensives.
	July-August		Lowgar and Shomali valley offensive.
	August-October		Relief of Ali kheil garrison in Paktia by 70th MRB and 345th ABR.
	September		Pandsher VIII.
	October		Fighting in Herat.
	November		Paktia operation.
	December		Kunar valley offensive with 66th MRB and 345th ABR lasts until February.
1985
	April		Maidan valley offensive
	May-June		Kunar offensive and relief of Barikot garrison
	June		Pandsher IX launched in retaliation for fall of Pechgur
	July		Heavy fighting in Herat and Kandahar
	August-September		Paktia offensive. Largest offensive since Pandsher VII, relieved Khost but failed to take Zhawar base
1986
	March		Offensive around Andkhoy
	April		Paktia offensive takes Zhawar
	May		Offensive in the Arghandab near Kandahar
	June		Khejob valley offensive
	August		Lowgar valley offensive
	October		6 Soviet regiments withdrawn from Afghanistan.
	November		66th MRB offensive in Naizan valley
1987
	January-February		Temporary cease-fire for national reconciliation
	May-June		Arghandab offensive. Paktia offensive near Jadji
	14 July		Loss of Kalafghan garrison in Takhar province
	November-January		Operation Magistral to relieve Khost
1988
	March		Offensive to relieve Urgun in Paktia province
	April		Kandahar to Ghazni offensive
	14 April		Geneva accords signed
	April		Soviet withdrawl from Barikot, upper Kunar valley and Alikhel, Chowni and Chamakani in Paktia, Qalat in Zaboul
	May		66th MRB withdrawal from Jalalabad
	15 October		Half of Soviet force withdrawn
1989
	15 February		Last Soviet combat units withdrawn

 

Cost of the War in Afghanistan

Number of personnel who served in Afghanistan: 620,000
Force Breakdown 525,000 Regular Army 90,000 KGB 5,000 MVD	Killed and Wounded Killed in Action 13,833 Sick and Wounded 469,685 Permanently Disabled 10,751
Equipment Losses Jet Aircraft 118 Helicopters 333 Tanks 147 Armored Personnel Carriers 1314 Artillery Pieces and Mortars 433 Radio Sets and Command Post Vehicles 1138 Engineering Vehicles 510 Trucks 11,369

This page was last updated on 17 May, 2005