The US and Soviet Union in Afghanistan: A Tale of Two Withdrawals

A U.S. Chinook military helicopter flies above the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, 2021. Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images

News Analysis

When the cash-strapped Soviet Union stopped providing military support to its client government in Afghanistan in February 1989, U.S. intelligence officials predicted immediate demise for the Russian-backed Afghan regime.