Democratic Republic of Afghanistan

This article is about the specific polity Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics

Was the Afghan state during the one-party rule of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) from 1978 to 1992. It relied heavily on assistance from the Soviet Union for most of its existence, especially during the Soviet-Afghan War.

Establishment

April 1978: The PDPA came to power through a military coup known as the Saur Revolution, which ousted the government of Mohammad Daoud Khan. Daoud was succeeded by Nur Muhammad Taraki as head of state and government on 30 April 1978.

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. Afghan Civil War

Was a civil war in Afghanistan between the end of the 1970's and 2022 that included a series of related conflicts. The first phase of the civil war were two coups d'état that resulted in the establishment of the Socialist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. In order to support the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, the USSR invaded the country. Two years after the Soviet withdrawal, in 1992, the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was ended by the Mujahideen, an Islamic rebel group. This was followed by a conflict mainly between the Mujahideen and the Taliban forces (another Islamic militia). Until 1996 Taliban took control of Kabul and most of Afghanistan, and established of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The civil war continued between the Islamic State of Afghanistan and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, two governments recognized by different international actors. This phase was ended by the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The invasion's goals were to capture or kill Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda militants, as well as replace the Taliban with a U.S.-friendly government. With support of the US the Talibans were initially defeated and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was established. However, the Talibans started a counteroffensive and in 2021 recaptured whole Afghanistan and established again the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

1.1.Saur Revolution

Was a revolution in Afghanistan that overthrew Afghan president Mohammed Daoud Khan and established the Socialist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.

1.2.Soviet-Afghan War

Was a Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in support of the socialist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, and is also considered the first phase of the wider Afghan Civil War. After nearly ten years of fighting with the Afghan mujahideen, the Soviet troops left Afghanistan in 1989 and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan collapsed in 1992.

1.2.1.Soviet Intervention in Afghanistan

Was the Soviet military invasion at the beginning of the Soviet-Afghan War.

December 1979: The units of the 108th Motorized Division of the Soviet Union, under the command of General Boris Gromov, first crossed the Amu Darya river on the evening of 24 December 1979. They then proceeded to occupy the cities of Baghlan, Kunduz, and Pol-e Khomri in northern Afghanistan by the afternoon of 27 December.

December 1979: The 5th Motorized Division, part of the Soviet Union's armed forces, entered western Afghanistan in 1979. Led by General Gromov, they quickly captured the cities of Herat and Shindand as part of the USSR's military occupation of the region.

December 1979: A large numbers of Soviet Airborne Forces joined stationed ground troops and began to land in Kabul on December 25. On December 27, 1979, 700 Soviet troops dressed in Afghan uniforms, including KGB and GRU special forces officers from the Alpha Group and Zenith Group, occupied major governmental, military and media buildings in Kabul. The operation was fully complete by the morning of December 28, 1979.

January 1980: The Soviet Union expanded his area of control in Afghanistan up to Farah and Kandahar.

January 1980: By mid-January 1980 the main centers of Afghanistan were in Soviet hands. Red Army troops never attempted to occupy the entire Afghan territory, but concentrated their attention on areas deemed most important such as major urban areas, airports and main roads, ignoring rural areas altogether; at least 80% of Afghan territory remained effectively outside the control of the Kabul government and its Soviet allies.