Taking a Stand
The Mujahideen took a stand when Soviet Russia invaded Afghanistan in 1979. The Soviets were looking to do three things when they made the decision to invade Afghanistan: They wanted to expand their influence in Asia, preserve the Communist government that was created in 1970, and protect their interests in Afghanistan from Iran and other Western countries. With this invasion, the Mujahideen was formed to fight back against the Soviets and push them out of Afghanistan. The war was devastating to the civilian population because the civilians were the ones who were housing and feeding the Mujahideen so to counter this from happening the, the Soviets started to eliminate or forcefully remove the civilians from the country side where they lived. Soviet bombings destroyed villages, crops, and irrigation leaving the civilians homeless, starving, and dying at an alarming rate. There wasn't a defined base of operations or headquarters for the Mujahideen so the Soviets had to result to these extreme tactics in order to counter the guerrilla-style warfare that the Mujahideen was employing to fight against them. Despite these bombings and set backs from the Soviets, after ten years, the Mujahideen finally managed to push back the Soviets and in 1989, they withdrew their forces. The Mujahideen was not a part of the current government, as the President, Sayid Mohammed Najibullah, was working with the Soviets. Upon the expelling of the Soviets from Afghanistan, the Mujahideen surrounded the capital, Kabul, and waited three years to take power from Sayid Mohammed Najibullah.
251 Words
251 Words