The Soviet Military Experience in Afghanistan: A Precedent of Dubious Relevance

The Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s had been largely forgotten until last month, but it is now back in the news. The attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., on September 11 and the start of the U.S. air campaign over Afghanistan on October 7 have raised the prospect that U.S. ground forces might be sent to Afghanistan to destroy the terrorist strongholds of Osama bin Laden, who is widely presumed to be responsible for the September 11 attacks. Soviet operations in the 1980s against Afghan guerrillas are generally deemed to have been a colossal military failure, and the guerrillas themselves are seen as formidable warriors capable of repulsing any foreign invader. Over the past few weeks, a number of former Soviet generals and servicemen have recalled their own encounters with Afghan fighters and warned that the United States would fare no better if it embarked on ground operations in Afghanistan. Their warnings have been echoed by many Western observers, who argue that the Soviet experience in Afghanistan underscores the need for great caution. […]

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