Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (1979-1989)

In December 1979 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to prop up a pro-Soviet communist government against Islamist rebels. The Soviets expected a short campaign. Instead they fought a ten-year insurgency against mujahideen guerrillas backed by the U.S., Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and others. The U.S. supplied the mujahideen with Stinger anti-aircraft missiles that neutralized Soviet helicopter dominance. The Soviets withdrew in 1989 after losing approximately 15,000 troops and suffering massive economic costs. The war is often called "the Soviet Union's Vietnam."

Afghanistan would have long-term consequences. After the Soviet withdrawal, the country fell into civil war. The Taliban, an Islamist movement, seized power in 1996. They harbored Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. The 9/11 attacks of 2001 led to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, beginning a twenty-year American war that ended in 2021 with the Taliban back in power.