By RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan February 12, 2019 KABUL — Sibghatullah Mojaddedi, an Afghan mujahedin commander who fought against Soviet forces and rose to become the country’s first president after the Soviet Army’s withdrawal, has died. Mojaddedi died late on February 11 in a Kabul hospital, his family said. He was 93. Mojaddedi “has played
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: A set of color photos show Afghanistan in a very different light. Click here to view more (external link).
The New York Times: Mr. [Archer] Blood’s newly published cable sheds light on what really drove the Soviet Union to invade Afghanistan only two months after his meeting with Mr. [Hafizullah] Amin. Spoiler alert: It was not because of terrorism, as claimed this month by President Trump, who said the Soviets were right to invade. Among
Rare color photos from the 1980s bring the the U.S.S.R.’s “hidden war” to light. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 28, 2019 Click here to view more (external link). Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
Michael Hughes: U.S. President Donald Trump sent the foreign policy establishment into a rage for suggesting the Soviets intervened in Afghanistan because they were concerned about terrorism. The comments, rather predictably, drew immediate rebukes from members of the military-industrial-media complex who were beside themselves that a U.S. president would dare claim the Soviets were motivated by
Associated Press: President Donald Trump’s comments about Afghanistan this week devolved into a history lesson gone awry and an embrace of the former Soviet Union’s decision to invade the country in the 1970s. Click here to read more (external link). Related Survey Reveals US Forces’ Thoughts On Current Military Policies
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 3, 2019 WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump urged other countries, specifically Russia, Pakistan, and India, to become more involved in the fighting in Afghanistan as he argued against continued long-term presence of U.S. troops in the war-torn country. In televised comments to reporters during a cabinet meeting on January 2,
Press TV December 27, 2018 The Taliban militant group has warned the United States it would face the same fate as the Soviet Union in the 1980s if it did not leave violence-wracked Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement on Thursday that US forces face “humiliation” and could “learn a great deal” from
BBC News: A new documentary celebrates Ahmad Zahir, the ‘60s and ‘70s icon who mysteriously died in 1979. Arwa Haider talks to the people making the film, including Zahir’s daughter, about how the singer combined popularity with protest. Click here to read more (external link).
The Washington Post: The war lasted for nearly a decade. Among its consequences were 1 million civilian casualties; the rise of Islamist fundamentalist groups (backed by the West as a counterweight to the Soviets); and the collapse of the Soviet economy, which precipitated the end of the Soviet Union, which is now so lamented by both