Soviet troop withdrawal is completed

Declassified U.S. records state that Washington expanded its covert program to include lethal weapons for Afghan insurgents after Soviet troops entered. Arms and funds moved through Pakistan, with...

The UN General Assembly adopted resolution 35/37, calling for the immediate withdrawal of foreign troops and affirming the Afghan people’s right to choose their government. The vote reflected broad...

Mohammad Najibullah became general secretary of the PDPA and began promoting a policy of national reconciliation as Soviet leaders sought an exit. Afghan political factions remained divided and...

On 19 December Soviet officials publicly reported Afghan resistance use of U.S.-made Stinger missiles, whose first use they dated to November. The CIA later acknowledged supplying the weapons, which...

Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Soviet Union and the United States signed agreements in Geneva. They established a framework for Soviet withdrawal and non-interference, but the Afghan mujahideen and...

By December 1990 UNHCR estimated more than 6.3 million Afghan refugees in neighboring states: about 3.3 million in Pakistan and 3 million in Iran. The figure shows how war and foreign intervention...

After the Soviet Union dissolved and external support to Kabul contracted, President Najibullah agreed to step aside under a UN-backed transition plan. The plan collapsed amid armed factional...

Mujahideen factions entered Kabul after the Najibullah government fell. Rival armed groups soon fought over the state and the capital. The label “mujahideen” covered diverse organizations; their...

Fighting broke out between Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s forces and President Rabbani’s allies. Rival former anti-Soviet factions caused civilian deaths, displacement and destruction after the 1992 government...

The Taliban seized Kabul and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Their rule brought severe restrictions, especially on women and girls, and armed conflict continued with opponents in the...