The end of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan

The Soviet Union withdrew its troops from Afghanistan by 15 February 1989, with their commander General Boris Gromov leading the last units across the Friendship Bridge over the Amu Darya river.

General Boris Gromov on the Friendship bridge,15 February 1989

What they left behind was an Afghan government of Mohammad Najibullah Ahmadzai. The ISI and the CIA expected it to fall within weeks. It didn’t.

Continuing from where we left off during the previous episode — Panjshir, Afghanistan: Resistance then and now — this week Sudarshan and I take a look at the last days of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, and its immediate aftermath.

Soviet column rolling across the Friendship bridge

Suggested reading

If you’d like to find out more about this period, Sudarshan and I recommend the following books:

1. Massoud an intimate potrait by Marcella Grad

2. The Bear went over the mountain and its companion piece, the other side of the mountain both by Lester Grau

3. The great gamble by Gregory Fiefer

4. Ghost Wars by Steven Coll

5. On Afghanistan's plains by Jules Stewart (on the British wars in Afghanistan)

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You might also enjoy reading my spy novels: Let Bhutto Eat Grass & Let Bhutto Eat Grass: Part 2 deal with nuclear weapons espionage in 1970s India, Pakistan, and Europe.