Soviet Union Installs a Puppet Government in Afghanistan
In December 1979, the Soviet Union intervened militarily in Afghanistan, installing Babrak Karmal as the leader of a puppet government amid internal political turmoil. The move followed the ousting of Hafizullah Amin, as the Soviets aimed to stabilize their influence in the region by backing a pro-communist regime. Afghanistan, a landlocked country with a predominantly rural and Islamic population, had long been economically dependent on the Soviet Union after a series of earlier political upheavals. The Soviet intervention sparked fierce resistance from conservative tribal leaders and Islamic clerics, leading to a brutal civil war that saw the Afghan government control major cities while rebels dominated the countryside. The United States responded by covertly supporting the rebel forces through military aid, particularly via Pakistan, leading to increased conflict in the region. As the war dragged on and public sentiment in the Soviet Union shifted, Mikhail Gorbachev eventually sought disengagement, culminating in the withdrawal of Soviet forces by February 1989. The aftermath left Afghanistan facing significant political instability and social challenges, highlighting the complex interplay of foreign intervention and local resistance in the region's history.
Soviet Union Installs a Puppet Government in Afghanistan
The Soviet Union Installs a Puppet Government in Afghanistan
On December 27, 1979, the Soviet Union used its military forces, which had entered the neighboring central Asian nation of Afghanistan just a few days earlier, to installed Babrak Karmal as the leader of the Afghan government. The Soviets believed that Karmal, an ally, would be able to effectively control the country and keep it subservient to the Soviet regime. Afghan people surprised the Soviets, however, and the two groups soon became entangled in a military quagmire reminiscent of the American experience in Vietnam that helped convince the Soviets to end the cold war with the United States.
Afghanistan is a mountainous, land-locked country bordered by the former Soviet Union to the north, Iran to the west, and Pakistan to the south and east. It is poor, and economically undeveloped, and the largely rural Islamic population is somewhat isolated from the outside world. Given its proximity to the Soviet Union, world leaders were not surprised when Afghanistan fell into the Soviet sphere of influence. Beginning in the 1950s the Afghan government launched a series of ambitious development plans, but despite efforts to increase trade and expand relations with western countries Afghanistan remained dependent on the Soviet Union.
Afghanistan was a monarchy until 1973, when a military coup led by Muhammad Daud ousted the royalist regime. In 1978 Daud himself was overthrown, which resulted in the rise to power of Noor Muhammad Taraki, who was ousted in September 1979 by Hafizullah Amin and then murdered. Anxious to secure the position of the communist and pro-Soviet elements in Afghan politics, in December 1979 the Soviets sent their military forces across the border and into the Afghan capital of Kabul. They forced Amin out of power, had him executed, and made Babrak Karmal the titular leader.
The United States vigorously protested the Soviet intervention, but was unable and unwilling to take direct action in a country so remote from American shores. However, Karmal's Soviet-supported communist regime was almost immediately opposed by the conservative tribal leaders and Islamic clerics who had traditionally checked the power of the central government in Kabul. Intent on crushing all opposition, Karmal and the Soviets used military force in an effort to enforce their control over the rugged Afghan countryside. A vicious civil war erupted, with the government in control of the major cities and towns, while rebel groups controlled large portions of the countryside.
Seeking to take advantage of the chaotic situation and to thwart the Soviets, under the administration of President Jimmy Carter (1976-1980), the United States decided to give military assistance to the rebels. The weapons were funneled primarily through Pakistan, which was nervous about Soviet ambitions in the region and thus turned a blind eye towards covert American activities along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Under the Reagan administration (1980-1988), the assistance to the rebels was greatly increased and even included such advanced weapons as portable Stinger missiles, which could shoot down Soviet jet fighters and combat helicopters.
The Soviets countered by throwing massive military resources into the Afghan war, and endured thousands of casualties. The Afghan people suffered greatly: roughly one-third of the population was either killed or forced to flee the country. As the Soviet campaign intensified, however, so did assistance to the rebels. More money and weapons came from other Islamic countries, such as Saudi Arabia and neighboring Iran, and the Peoples' Republic of China lent assistance as well. When Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union, he decided to disengage from the conflict, which was becoming extremely unpopular with the Soviet public, as part of his broader agenda in seeking better relations with the West and the rest of the world.
In May 1988 Pakistan, the Soviet Union, and the United States signed agreements providing for an end to foreign intervention in Afghanistan. The Soviets withdrew their forces by February 1989, and the communist regime collapsed. While the United States claimed it as a victory in the cold war, Afghanistan was left to handle its political and social problems by itself.