The Soviet Afghan War Begins

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 6 April 2022

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

In late December 1979, the world held its breath as thousands of Soviet troops were sent into Afghanistan. Moscow said the troops would be there six months, to help bring peace to the country. In fact, the Soviet army stayed almost ten years, and Afghanistan came to be seen as the Soviet Union's Vietnam. Louise Hidalgo has been talking to journalist Andrei Ostalski and former soldier Vyacheslav Ismailov about that time.

Picture: Soviet tanks in front of the Darulaman Palace in Kabul (Credit: Henri Bureau/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:24.9	searching and a lot more auction listen on BBC sounds. Hello and thank you for downloading the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service.
0:41.6	Today we're going back to late 1979
0:45.4	when the Soviet Union sent its army into Afghanistan
0:49.1	to prop up the country's communist-led government.
0:52.6	Moscow said the troops would stay six months.
0:55.4	In the end, they would stay nearly 10 years,
0:58.6	and Afghanistan would become the Soviet Union's Vietnam.
1:02.8	Louise Hidalgo spoke to former soldier Vieslaviz Mylov and journalist Andre Ostelski
1:08.6	about that time.
1:10.9	Afghanistan.
1:11.9	F cairname to the Afghanistan, the future of the
1:14.0	the
1:15.0	the the Savot K
1:18.0	moll moll
1:20.0	I was taking
	...

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