The Soviets finally began to withdraw troops in the spring of 1988, and removing all troops by early 1989. They left the country in political and personal chaos, with infighting between ethnic groups and religious sects. Author Esposito continues, "Within a brief period after the Soviet withdrawal, the great Islamic victory had collapsed into interethnic and sectarian warfare, fueled by foreign patrons. The net result was chaos and the devastation of Afghanistan as various warlords vied to set up their own fiefdoms."
The country disintegrated into Civil War, with some of the mujahidin factions of the Northern Alliance surviving to fight against the Taliban with U.S. forces in 2001. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 1996, controlling every aspect of life from dress to worship and commerce. The Taliban supported bin Laden's al-Qaeda operation, allowing him to train terrorists at camps throughout the country.
In conclusion, the Soviet-Afghan War dragged on for nearly ten long years, and ultimately, the Soviet forces were defeated, and Afghanistan returned to fundamentalist Muslim rule. The rebel mujahidin proved that desire, dedication, and strong beliefs, combined with Soviet arrogance about their own abilities, could defeat a superpower like the Soviet Union. However, after the war the country was reduced to Civil War, and finally was taken over by the ultra-conservative Taliban government, that allowed free reign to insurgents such as
The Soviet-Afghan War was not the direct cause of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, but it certainly opened up the opportunity and acceptance for terrorists to train, move about the world, and continue fighting their jihads. The Soviet-Afghanistan War proved that even the mightiest superpowers can come crashing down in the face of intense religious fervor and beliefs, and that does not seem to be a lesson the rest of the countries of the world have been inclined to learn.
References
Editors. 2007. The Soviet-Afghan War. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas Press. Online. Available from Internet: http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/grasov.html, accessed 11 June 2007.
Esposito, John L. 2003. Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. New York: Oxford University Press.
Joes, Anthony James. 1996. Guerrilla Warfare: A Historical, Biographical, and Bibliographical Sourcebook. Edited by Robin Higham. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
Strmecki, Marin. 1986. Can the Afghan Rebels Win?. National Review, 4 July, 32+.
Editors. 2007. The Soviet-Afghan War. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas Press. Online. Available from Internet: http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/grasov.html, accessed 11 June 2007.
Anthony James Joes. 1996. Guerrilla Warfare: A Historical, Biographical, and Bibliographical Sourcebook, ed. Higham, Robin. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 119-120.
John L. Esposito. 2003. Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam New York: Oxford University Press, 9.
Joes, 120.
Esposito, 10.
Joes, 121.
Esposito, 10.
Marin Strmecki. 1986. "Can the Afghan Rebels Win?" National Review.
Esposito, 10.
Joes, 123.
Esposito, 12.
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