Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan - Essay Example

The major purpose for Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan was to secure an advantageous position in Asia to get access to better trade connection and Gulf oil. During this period, Afghanistan was going through an internal struggle. The then monarch, King Zahir Shah was not successful in bridging the gap between the tribal class and the central government resulting in a huge chasm between the elite class and the local tribal leaders. In 1978, the Saur Revolution took place during which the Afghan Communist Party assassinated the country’s Prime Minister, and this event made the country even more vulnerable for foreign attacks due to the absence of a stable government.

During the period that Soviet Union captured the land of Afghanistan, the former introduced different social and military policies that enraged the local population because of the oppressive strategies of the Soviets. They implemented land reforms that had adverse impact on the tribal leaders. The economic reforms that were initiated by the Soviets enhanced the gap between the rich and the poor as the condition of the latter worsened. As a result of these reforms, it was common scenario that various tribal groups demonstrated protests against the Soviets.

In order to suppress these uprisings, the Soviets used extreme and ruthless measures like mass arrests, persecutions, and aerial bombardments. According to a November 2001 Amnesty International report, during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan approximately one million people were died, and eight thousand people were executed after putting on trial between 1980 and 1988. Such extreme atrocities by the Soviets eventually erupted into strong resistance by the Mughal freedom fighers with support from the United States.

Finally, in the year 1988, the then Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev capitulated and withdrew his troops from Afghanistan after calling the entire events as a “bleeding wound” (“The