The Soviet War in Afghanistan 1979-1989

In December 1979 the USSR’s 40th Army crossed the border into Afghanistan. Special forces troops – the infamous GRU Spetsnaz – and KGB agents had already entered the country and in a fierce gun battle assassinated Afghanistan’s President Hafizullah Amin in Tajbeg Palace so that he could be replaced by rival Babrak Karmal. The official explanation provided to officers, non-commissioned officers, and other ranks of the Soviet Armed Forces was that they were carrying out an ‘international duty’ in