Joseph collinsa veteran afghan watcher, national war college professor, and respected strategistguides the reader expertly through the. Proclaiming a jihadholy war, they gained the support of the islamic world. Afghanistan 1979 the war that changed the world youtube. Why does no one talk about the atrocities committed by. Angloafghan wars britishafghani history britannica. Persia and afghanistan in 19334 being recognised as the greatest of all prewar travel books. This epic threevolume masterpiece is to war what gibbons decline and fall of the roman empire was to history.
Some stirredup muslims or the liberation of central europe and the end of the cold war. The soviet war in afghanistan graphic modern history. They stayed there for 9 years and more than 15,000 russian soldiers were lost dead, much more were wounded or had psychological problems in their civil life later. Abd arrahman khan died in 1901 and was succeeded by his son habibullah. Next, we outline the role of the afghanistan war in the breakdown of the soviet union and provide evidence in support of our contention. Why its so difficult to win a war in afghanistan history.
The result is plenty of must read books about the war in afghanistan. This book was recommended as a history of a loss with the comment that military losses are much more informative than wins. Understanding war in afghanistan ndu press national defense. Offering a candid view of a war that played a significant role in the ultimate demise of the soviet union, this book presents analysis absolutely vital to western policymakers, as well as to political, diplomatic, and military historians, and anyone interested in russian and soviet history. It is the definitive history of the us civil war it gives equal treatment to both sides, and is more than one million words, but is never boring. British royal marines take part in the clearance of nade ali district of helmand province. Translated by alyona kojevnikov a cornelia and michael bessie book harpercollins out of print try used books. Realise that i do not know if this is a reliable book, still was the only one ive found about usa intervention on the war. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden, from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 by steve coll. With the hidden war he provided the world its first glimpse inside the soviet military machine, capturing the soldiers terror, helplessness, and despair at waging war in a foreign land against an unseen enemy for unclear purposes. Cold war conflicts by gary jeffrey and nick spender nov 30, 20 3. I am in 100% agreement with you but i think this hypocracy is the result of many things but before ill tell you one more incident in the sovietafghan war 19791989 one russian soldier told his commanding officer that they have burned down a wh. Read on to understand how the war began in, but not against, afghanistan in 2001, and who the actors are now. Afghan men walk amongst the remains of russian military vehicles on the outskirts of kabul on february 14, 2009 on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the withdrawal of soviet troops from afghanistan.
Grau, the bear went over the mountain and the other side of the mountain. Armor of the afghanistan war by steven zaloga, et al listed under war in afghanistan. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has stri. A russian journalists account of the soviet war in afghanistan artyom. The military hierarchy denied the enlisted men legal access to drink, yet fighting a highstress and in the early years, at least officially unacknowledged. Seems history in afghanistan tends to repeat itself from time to time. Are there any good books about the sovietafghan war. Postwithdrawal puzzle of policy options for india, pakistan and afghanistan postamerican withdrawal from afghanistan scenario after december 2014 and.
Works of art or history books showing human faces or. While other countries in the region, notably iran and iraq, were stealing the headlines in the late 1970s, afghanistan was largely off everyones radar. The soviet war in afghanistan lasted nine years from december 1979 to february 1989. The book was used but condition is good no lost or torn pages.
This is one of the best books about the war in afghanistan for anyone interested in learning the history of how the area became so. 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. William dalrymples top 10 books on afghanistan books. When i was researching a 2009 book about the soviet war, i found. Russian book soldier fight action army attack war mountain. It also gives a history of the conflict in afghanistan during the 10 years that russia was at war in the area, and the role the cia played in their own covert operations against russian troops during that time. Book afghan war army russian photo afghanistan old vintage.
Briefing book on the soviet intervention in afghanistan. The first official deployment of the soviet army into the kingdom of afghanistan began dec. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an. For those that are unsure, here is a brief history of the russian war in afghanistan. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. A military history from alexander the great to the war against the taliban. War in afghanistan 2001present part of the larger afghanistan conflict, and the global war on terrorism.
In his enlightening and refreshing book, largely based. Operation enduring freedom, with over 1,892 fallen servicemen and women just from the united states and over 1,000 casualties from other nations who form part of the coalition, is in the minds of many this memorial day. This is a military manual guide to fighting in the mountains in russian with illustrations in soft cover. See more ideas about afghanistan, afghanistan war and war. Gregory feifer relates these events in his fascinating new book, the great gamble. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read afghanistan. The war in afghanistan twenty eight years ago russian army has entered afghanistan. Collins understanding war in afghanistan is an excellent primer on a hugely complex conflict. This is the 7th book on the sovietafghan war ive read, and lester grau kept up his reputation with this book for historical investigative detail. The written recorded history of the land presently constituting afghanistan can be traced back to around 500 bce when the area was under the achaemenid. Greek, arab, mongol, and tartar, and, in more recent times, british, russian, and american. From the day to day life of the good soldiers and marines on the front lines to the quest to find osama bin laden, there are books that tell the true story from the people who fought al qaeda and other forces while serving in afghanistan.
When i was interviewing veterans of the sovietafghan war for my doctorate, many and horrifying were the accounts of parties fueled by aftershave, rosewater, and rubbing alcohol. Part of the cold war, it was fought between sovietled afghan forces against multinational insurgent groups called the mujahideen, mostly composed of two alliances the peshawar seven and the tehran eight. The peshawar seven insurgents received military training in neighboring pakistan and china, as well as. It was published in the soviet according to the results of the war in afghanistan. Following a protracted civil war that began in 1816, the barakzay clan became the ruling. Reviewed in the united kingdom on january 16, 2014. Despite british pressure, afghanistan remained neutral in world war i. Obama announces a new strategy for the afghanistan war that would dispatch more military and civilian trainers to the country, in addition to the 17,000 more combat troops he previously ordered. On december 24, 1979, the soviet union invades afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the soviet afghan friendship treaty of 1978. The history of the 1990s has, of course, completely demolished that belief, as evidenced by the russian armys subsequent engagements with guerilla forces in chechnya, azerbaijan. Best books about the soviet invasion of afghanistan. List of books and articles about afghan history online. Sixteen topnotch academicians, generals and young scholars were invited to discuss the topic american withdrawal from afghanistan in december 2014. For a book showing a more scholar view of the conflict and written decades after the end of the war with new russian material, i recommend ospreys the soviet afghan war 19791989 by gregory fremontbarnes, published in 2012.
Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned. Grazdas grasp of afghan history and culture create an explosive expos of this outlaw nation. The army university press books are traditional and interactive works relevant to the current interests and concerns of the us army. The value of afgantsy the name given to russian veterans of afghanistan lies in the mainly. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states, saudi arabia, pakistan. Afghanistan agrees to new conditions to counter corruption. Until his death in 2000, artyom borovik was considered one of the preeminent journalists in russia. Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the opposition,called the mujahedeen, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. Books on afghanistan history and culture rare and out of. Boozing through the sovietafghan war was more horrifying.
First alexander the great tried to subdue the proud iranian and scythian warriors in a bloody and inconclusive campaign and had to settle for a compromise solution before getting out of the place to start his conquest of india, after many centuries of bloody wars and conquest by the most fearsome eastern empires including. Trump was wrong about the soviet war in afghanistan the atlantic. Hardcover 72 pages 1 ed edition august 31, power house cultural entertainment. Surprisingly, this was a study the general staff never intended to write, initially viewing the war in afghanistan as a dismal aberration in russian military history. The extraordinary story of the largest covert operation in history by crile, george. Some of the most important documents on the soviet war in afghanistan were published in the english translation in the cold war international history project bulletin, no. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union. 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. Now in its twelfth year, the afghanistan war is the longest war in u. Im sure there are a lot of books covering the afghanistan war against the soviets in general and with some good topics about usa intervention. Very occasionally, as in the time of mahmud of ghazni, it has existed as a kingdom approximating more closely to the modern borders of aghanistan. When first published, boroviks groundbreaking revelations.
Surprisingly, this was a study the general staff never intended to write, initially viewing the war in afghanistan as a dismal abberation in russian military history. In her awardwinning book about the vietnam war, fire in the lake, frances fitzgerald states. 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. The history of the 1990s has, of course, completely demolished that belief, as evidenced by the russian armys subsequent engagements with guerrilla forces in chechnya, azerbaijan. The anglorussian agreement of 1907 guaranteed the independence of afghanistan under british influence in foreign affairs. Its a highly readable history of the conflict, which began with. The most interesting aspect, in my opinion, is the authors prediction the book was written in 1986 that the war would last some 20 years and that nobody ever won a war of atrittion against russia soviet union at the time but the author keep calling it russia. The region of afghanistan has for much of history been part of the persian empire.
Soviet war in afghanistan simple english wikipedia, the. This is a book about soviet army afghanistan is aching in my soul in russian with hard cover. On december 24, 1973, stephenie meyer, author of the twilight novels, a vampire. Overall this book is excellent for the time when it was written. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and afghan assistance fighters, supporter from abroad. A very vivid account of the soviet invasion of afghanistan. Afghanistan war, 197892, conflict between anticommunist muslim afghan guerrillas mujahidin and afghan government and soviet forces. The attacks of september 11, 2001 surprised many americans.
Existing explanations of the soviet unions breakdown. List of books and articles about soviet invasion of afghanistan. Afghanistan made it russia because they went bankrupt fighting in. In the great gamble, a groundbreaking account of the soviet invasion. From time to time it has been linked with the northern plains of india, as under the kushan dynasty of the 2nd century ad. It was used but condition is very good, no lost or torn pages. Among the afghans central asia book series arthur bonner duke univ press the hidden war. A military history from alexander the great to the war against the taliban ebook written by stephen tanner. The documents presented below provide an insight into some of the most important aspects of the soviet decision making on the afghan war from the.
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