Essay about Americas Involvement in the Soviet Afghan War

Americas Involvement in the Soviet Afghan War The worst case scenario for the United States in the late 70s and early 80s was the threat of the Soviet invasion of Iran and subsequent control of the Saudi Oil fields. The best that could be done to counter a possible Soviet invasion would have been the deployment of parts of the 82nd Airborne Division to the Zagros Mountains of Iran, which would take at least a week with reinforcements arriving much later. This was not acceptable to the Carter Administration, which decided on another course of action - to actively support the anti-Soviet Mujahideen â€Å"freedom - fighters† in Afghanistan and help protect the Middle Eastern oil fields. This American involvement in the Soviet Afghan war has†¦show more content†¦(Nyrop, 27) Soviet convoys were also vulnerable due to the surrounding terrain. The roads were very narrow and steep in Afghanistan. The limited road network, thin, icy air and insufficient armor on vehicles all slowly leaded to the Soviets demise. There were other reasons for rebel attacks on convoys. By disrupting convoys, the Soviet outposts were negatively affected, forcing them to increase their protection; Thereby reducing the number of troops ready to battle rebels elsewhere. After the Mujahideen cleared the convoy from the few surviving Russians, they would sweep the convoys of all weapons, food, clothing, money, and other useful items.( Tamarov, 59) Numerous offensives were very common, most in the early stages of the war. The mujahideen were also heavily bombarded by massive air and artillery barrages lasting several days at a time. But to the Soviets disadvantage, the rebels most always had sufficient warning and left before they could bombard the area clean. When the Soviets left, the rebels would simply return. (Jalali, 77) To combat the Soviets effectively the mujahideen were in great need of sophisticated weaponry. Many of the mujahideen were equipped with Enfield bolt action rifles, left over from the previous imperial conflict 65 years earlier: World War I. (Fortier) In addition to the Enfields were the captured Soviet weapons, and not to forget the CIAs generous weapons donations. At that point in timeShow MoreRelatedFall Of The Taliban And The Afghan Civil War Essay2028 Words   |  9 Pagesthe Taliban government over several wars. America’s involvement in the Afghanistan – Soviet War Moscow had grown irritated with the Afghan civil war. Moscow sought to subdue the Afghan civil war in hopes of securing a socialist government to their south. Why did America decide to step in? It is often a difficult question to answer. In fact, many people question America’s motives for involvement in the Afghanistan-Soviet war. 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