The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan

What happened

At the end of December 1979, Soviet troops poured into Afghanistan to prop up a faltering communist government, killing its leader and installing a client in his place. The intervention drew nearly worldwide condemnation and years of guerrilla resistance from US-backed insurgents.

Why it matters

The invasion shattered détente, triggered a US grain embargo and Olympic boycott, and mired the USSR in a costly decade-long war often likened to its own 'Vietnam.'

Sources

• Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State. The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and the U.S. Response, 1978–1980 · Reputable source