A Critical Analysis of External Invasions in Afghanistan

Abstract

For the past four decades, Afghanistan has been a country in turmoil. Afghanistan's young
generation has yet to witness peace. The Soviets were the first to invade Afghanistan, followed
by the United States a decade later.Invasion of Afghanistan by Soviet soldiers began in 1979 and
lasted until 1989. The Soviet forces killed thousands of Afghan men, women, and children.
People flocked to Iran and Pakistan in significant numbers.After a bloody civil war, the Taliban
rose to power and established a government in Afghanistan, subjecting Afghans to Taliban
brutality. From 1996 until 2001, the Taliban dominated the country, enforcing draconian
restrictions.The terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, altered global security norms. America
blamed Osama Bin Laden for the September 11 terrorist attacks and demanded that the Taliban
leadership hand over Bin Laden.Mullah Omer, the Taliban's supreme commander, refused to
hand up Osama Bin Laden to American authorities. In October 2001, the United States launched
an invasion on Afghanistan in order to destroy the Taliban and Al Qaeda nexus.America has
failed to vanquish the Taliban rebels in Afghanistan after 20 years of conflict. In Afghanistan,
the United States has spent over $3 trillion and lost over 2500 soldiers. The United States has
reached a deal with Taliban terrorists to terminate the country's longest war.