Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

The Soviet Union’s military intervention in Afghanistan began in December 1979, when Soviet forces entered the country and helped install a new government. It triggered a decade-long war against Afghan resistance groups.

Operation Storm-333: A Soviet special-forces operation on 27 December 1979 that seized key sites in Kabul and killed Afghan leader Hafizullah Amin. Its assault on Amin’s palace marked the invasion’s decisive opening.
Saur Revolution: The April 1978 coup in Afghanistan that brought the communist People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan to power. The new government’s radical reforms and repression fueled rebellion before Soviet troops entered.
United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics: The US-led refusal to participate in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, announced after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The intervention prompted a highly visible diplomatic and sporting protest.
Soviet–Afghan Treaty of Friendship: A 1978 treaty between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union that provided for cooperation and mutual assistance. Soviet leaders cited the treaty when defending intervention, while critics disputed that it authorized invasion.
Soviet 40th Army: The Soviet field army deployed in Afghanistan from 1979 until the final withdrawal in 1989. It supplied the main ground force for the occupation and war.
People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan: The Afghan communist party that ruled from 1978 until 1992, marked by factional conflict and close ties to the Soviet Union. Its instability and internal power struggle shaped Moscow’s decision to intervene.
Afghan refugees: People forced to leave Afghanistan by war and persecution, especially in large numbers during the Soviet-Afghan War. Fighting and displacement drove millions across Afghanistan’s borders.
United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES-6/2: A 1980 United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. It expressed international opposition to the presence of Soviet forces.
Afghan mujahideen: Islamist and other Afghan resistance fighters who fought the Soviet-backed government and Soviet forces. Their insurgency turned the intervention into a protracted war.
Nur Muhammad Taraki: An Afghan communist leader who became head of state after the Saur Revolution and was killed in 1979. His overthrow and death deepened the crisis confronting the Soviet leadership.

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