Unknown. Estimates on civilian deaths vary at under 700,000 to over 2,000,000.

Soviet war in Afghanistan

Storm-333 – Khost – Panjsher – Urgun – Maravar Pass – Badaber – Zhawar – Jaji – Arghandab – Magistral – Hill 3234 – Arrow – Soviet withdrawal

Afghan Civil War Soviet occupation – Government collapse – Anarchy – Taliban control – NATO involvement History of Afghanistan This article is part of a series Timeline Pre-Islamic Period Islamic Conquest Saffarids Ghaznavids Ghurids Timurids Mughals Hotaki dynasty Durrani Empire Emirate of Afghanistan Kingdom of Afghanistan Republic of Afghanistan Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Afghanistan since 1992 Afghan Civil War 1979–1989 1989–1992 1992–1996 1996–2001 2001–present Afghanistan Portal

The Soviet War in Afghanistan, also known as the Soviet–Afghan War, was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan at their own request, against the Islamist Mujahideen Resistance. The Afghan government was also supported by India, while the mujahideen found other support from a variety of sources including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and other Muslim nations through the context of the Cold War and the regional India-Pakistan conflict.

The initial Soviet deployment of the 40th Army in Afghanistan began on December 24, 1979 under the leadership of Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev. The final troop withdrawal started on May 15, 1988, and ended on February 15, 1989 under the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Due to the interminable nature of the war, the conflict in Afghanistan has often been referred to as the Soviets' Vietnam; in relation to the Vietnam War.