Author: Abu Raef
Colonialism (12th part)
Soviet Crimes in Afghanistan
The Soviet Union, which attacked Afghanistan with heavily armed forces, sought to pave the way for its long-term presence, colonization, and permanent occupation of this country. They utilized every tool and equipment for their survival and stay, and in a way, their war and military tools and equipment were utilized to achieve their desired goal and result.
With the slogan “the end justifies the means,” they initiated numerous crimes—killing and displacing people—thus straying away from both military and humanitarian goals.
In this aggression, more than one million Afghans lost their lives in different ways. Five million Afghans (a third of Afghanistan’s population) emigrated to Iran and Pakistan; this mass migration marked the start of significant movements of Afghans into exile. In the 1980s, one out of every two immigrants in the world were Afghan.
In addition to the deceased, another one million and two hundred thousand Afghans, including anti-Russian Mujahideen, government soldiers, and civilians, were disabled and injured in the wars. In total, over three million Afghans were injured or killed.
Another detrimental effect of the Soviet Union’s aggression and crimes in Afghanistan was the destruction of the country’s agricultural lands. By 1985, more than half of Afghanistan’s agricultural lands—as the primary source of people’s income and livelihood—alongside agricultural irrigation systems and networks, were destroyed due to Russian bombings or deliberate sabotage.
Apart from these crimes, in depriving Afghanistan of peace and security, ten to fifteen million landmines were planted by the Soviet forces and the Afghan army, putting the lives of children, women, and the general public at serious risk.
The Uprising of the Mujahid People of Afghanistan Against Soviet Aggression
The Mujahid people of Afghanistan rose up against the Soviet invasion by forming various jihadi groups and movements across the country, liberating their nation from the oppressors with determination and numerous mujahidahs.
The resistance of the Afghan Muslim nation against the Soviet Union, then a superpower of the East and second power globally, showcased scenes of sacrifice and bravery seldom witnessed.
The tale of the Muslim Mujahideen in Afghanistan courageously combating the great Eastern empire will undoubtedly endure in Muslim and world history.
This war lasted nine years and two months. Afghan men and women fought under trying conditions, in mountains, enduring extreme weather, not only against the Russians but also facing opposition from the central government.
Backed by support from Islamic and regional countries, Islamic parties and movements guided and led the uprising of the Afghan nation, directing the mujahidin.
Parties such as the “Islamic Community of Afghanistan,” “Islamic Union,” “Islamic Party,” “Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan,” and others, consisting of diverse ethnic and religious groups in Afghanistan, fought against the Soviet occupation with a unified goal, eventually defeating the Soviet Union and its allies through leading and organizing the Mujahideen in Jihad affairs.
Accompanied by the Mujahid people of Afghanistan and Islamic parties, many Arab Muslim Mujahideen migrated to Afghanistan, fighting alongside their Afghan brethren against the Soviet aggressors with high religious and jihadi spirits. One notable figure was the Palestinian Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, who praised Afghan Mujahideen in his book “Sign of Rahman in the Afghan Jihad,” highlighting their sacrifices and virtues during the struggle.
Apart from the Islamic parties combating the Soviet Union, numerous students raised the Jihad flag when the academic year commenced, turning university classrooms into centers for Jihad movements.
The Defeat and Withdrawal of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan
People’s uprisings all over Afghanistan escalated daily, with jihadi groups growing more organized, and inflicting severe blows on the Soviet occupying forces and their collaborators.
After Brezhnev’s death, the Soviet Union’s new leader, Gorbachev, who inherited significant losses from Afghanistan, encountered a decline in the nation’s stature and reputation, both domestically and internationally. Seeking a solution to the crisis, a four-way agreement was brokered in Geneva on April 14, 1988, involving Russia, America, Kabul, and Islamabad. Per the agreement, Russian troops would withdraw peacefully from Afghanistan within nine months.
Eventually, on February 15, 1989, the invading Soviet army was compelled to leave Afghanistan, marking the end of the occupation. This departure not only represented the defeat of one of the world’s superpowers but also a golden chapter in Afghan history—celebrating the bravery and efforts of the Afghan nation.
