Soviet troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
Encyclopedia
The Withdrawal of Soviet combatant forces
from the Afghanistan
began on May 15, 1988 and successfully executed on February 15, 1989 under the leadership of Colonel-General
Boris Gromov
who also was the last Soviet general officer to walk from the Asfghanistan back into Soviet territory through the Afghan-Uzbek Bridge
. Under the Geneva Accords on April 15, 1988, the Afghanistan
and Pakistan
signed three instruments-on principles of mutual relations, in particular noninterference and non-intervention, on the voluntary return of Afghan refugees, and on interrelationships for the settlement, which provided for phased withdrawal of foreign troops to begin on 15 May. The United States
and the USSR also signed a declaration on international guarantees, stating they would both refrain from any form of interference and intervention.
In the first three-month period, it was reported that some 50,183 foreign troops had withdrawn. Another 50,100 left between 15 August 1988 and 15 February 1989.
The whole time, during the withdrawal over the border, troop convoys were coming under attack by Afghan fighters
. In all 523 Soviet soldiers were killed during the withdrawal.
The total withdrawal of all Soviet troops from Afghanistan was completed on 15 February 1989, in compliance with the terms of the Geneva Accords signed 10 months earlier.
In a symbolic move, Lt. Gen. Boris Gromov
was the last to walk from Afghanistan back into Soviet territory.
40th Army (Soviet Union)
The 40th Army of the Soviet Union's Red Army was an army-level command active from 1941 to 1945 and then again from 1979 to circa 1990.It was first formed, after Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, had commenced, from elements of the 26th and 37th Armies under the command...
from the Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
began on May 15, 1988 and successfully executed on February 15, 1989 under the leadership of Colonel-General
Colonel General
Colonel General is a senior rank of General. North Korea and Russia are two countries which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories...
Boris Gromov
Boris Gromov
Boris Vsevolodovich Gromov is a prominent Russian military and political figure. Since 2000, he has been the Governor of Moscow Oblast.-Biography:...
who also was the last Soviet general officer to walk from the Asfghanistan back into Soviet territory through the Afghan-Uzbek Bridge
Afghanistan–Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge
The Afghanistan–Uzbekistan Friendship Bridge is a road and rail bridge across the river Amu Darya in the northern Balkh province of Afghanistan, which connects the town of Hairatan with Termez in Uzbekistan...
. Under the Geneva Accords on April 15, 1988, the Afghanistan
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was a government of Afghanistan between 1978 and 1992. It was both ideologically close to and economically dependent on the Soviet Union, and was a major belligerent of the Afghan Civil War.- Saur Revolution :...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
signed three instruments-on principles of mutual relations, in particular noninterference and non-intervention, on the voluntary return of Afghan refugees, and on interrelationships for the settlement, which provided for phased withdrawal of foreign troops to begin on 15 May. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the USSR also signed a declaration on international guarantees, stating they would both refrain from any form of interference and intervention.
In the first three-month period, it was reported that some 50,183 foreign troops had withdrawn. Another 50,100 left between 15 August 1988 and 15 February 1989.
The whole time, during the withdrawal over the border, troop convoys were coming under attack by Afghan fighters
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
. In all 523 Soviet soldiers were killed during the withdrawal.
The total withdrawal of all Soviet troops from Afghanistan was completed on 15 February 1989, in compliance with the terms of the Geneva Accords signed 10 months earlier.
In a symbolic move, Lt. Gen. Boris Gromov
Boris Gromov
Boris Vsevolodovich Gromov is a prominent Russian military and political figure. Since 2000, he has been the Governor of Moscow Oblast.-Biography:...
was the last to walk from Afghanistan back into Soviet territory.
External links
- Marshall, A.(2006); Phased Withdrawal, Conflict Resolution and State Reconstruction; Conflict Research Studies Centre; ISBN 1 905058-74-8